Porto's Position At The Edge Of The Horn, Conceicao: Desperate From The Start Could Be Dangerous
JAKARTA - Sergio Conceicao insists Porto are still confident of inging up the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea despite trailing 0-2 on aggregate.
Chelsea's two away goals clearly put Porto in a position at the top of the table, given they acted as a visiting team for the second leg which was again evacuated to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium in Sevilla, Spain, early Wednesday morning.
"We are confident. We are aware of the difficult task, but we are here to provide the answers we deserve," Conceicao said as quoted by Antara from UEFA's official website on Tuesday, April 13.
In the first leg, Porto actually appeared more aggressive despite having less than 40 percent possession of the ball. Conceicao's men unleashed 12 shot attempts throughout the match, double what Chelsea did, but their goal was twice conceded without a single reply.
Despite the pressure, Conceicao insists his team will not play all-out attacking from the start, as such moves often risk backfireing.
"In this kind of match, dying from the beginning can be dangerous. We have to be compact and solid as a team," he said.
"We had to score while preventing our own goal from being conceded. We played well in the first leg, but not good enough, because if enough we should have won. We will try to improve the solid appearance that has been shown," concluded Conceicao.
Porto must at least win 3-1 if they are to reverse the aggregate and lock up a semi-final ticket with the productivity of an away goal.
However, it is not easy, as Chelsea have maintained a winless record in their last three Champions League games since being dealt with by Thomas Tuchel.