Jose Mourinho is “ touched by the gods’

He returned to the Estadio da Luz to face Rio Ave in front of what should be an enthusiastic crowd and the Greek Silaidopoulos did not hide his admiration for the 62 -year -old man.

“This is a motivation (facing Mourinho), without a doubt,” he said. “Presenting yourself against such an emblematic coach is very special. In Greece, we generally say that there are people who are affected by the gods and Mourinho is one of them.

“It will be a privilege to play against him. It’s a historic moment for Benfica and we are motivated to be part of it and to be in this game. But the match begins 0-0 and we want to show our best version. The coach, the players … This is the only way we can bring something of this game.

“It will be difficult, we know who we are going to face. We saw Mr. Mourinho’s first match and we are already planning the atmosphere that awaits us. It is important to be concentrated and strong in various aspects. We want to continue throughout the game. It is a game in which we will have to show personality and character. ”

Silaidopoulos hoping to silence Mourinho with an improved display

Rio Ave has not yet won in the Liga of Primeira this season, pulling three of his first five games. Friday evening, they were beaten 3-0 by Porto and Silaidopoulos hoped for better performance.

“There are several elements to take into account in football and we have to be better in everyone,” he added. “Be more consistent if we want to win matches and play better. There are situations in which we have shown this type of performance. We must find the right balance and improve what we do, as well as our weaknesses, which are a little obvious.

“In my opinion, we deserve to have obtained more points than we have done with our first three games.”

Mourinho – Rio Ave will be difficult

Mourinho agreed with this evaluation, saying: “I expect a better opponent than the points they have earned so far. We watched Rio Ave in their previous matches and in several games, especially in the first three, they were better than their points.

“You can see that they have a coach, an organization, who knows what they want, that they have players, not to say everyone, of good quality. It’s worth what it is worth, but they are 24 hours more than us to prepare for the game. I expect a difficult game.”

And Mourinho called Benfica fans to get behind his side.

“We need the domestic factor because when we play, it is an important help,” said old Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid Boss.

“The team is growing. From a tactical point of view, growth must be progressive. From an emotional point of view, the link with the fans is necessary, which makes them forget that the last home matches did not go well. It will be an important element for us to face a difficult opponent.”