Thursday, 20th March, 2014
Benfica’s boss Jorge Jesus has asked his side to be cautious of Tottenham Hotspur, as they head into a clash with the English club in the second leg of the last 16 round of the Europa League tonight, on the back of a 3-1 win in the first leg.
The Portuguese club are on the verge of eliminating Spurs and making it to the quarter-finals of the second-tier European competition, but Jesus has asked his players to not be complacent with their win in London.
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"We won there but we are not qualified yet. They have lots of quality players that can do the same here that we did in London. We have to be very careful with Tottenham", the 59-year-old manager was quoted as saying by UEFA’s official website.
The Eagles are currently leading the Primeira Liga and also have to play FC Porto in a domestic cup semi-final on 26th March, but with a tight schedule and a number of important matches lined up, Jesus believes he will have to rally his troops efficiently in order to be successful.
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Benfica lost the final of the Europa League 2-1 to Chelsea last season, but the Reds boss has insisted the club are past it and are now used to the pressure of back-to-back matches.
“It is a challenge. We are used to it. What happened last season happens again in this one – many matches with few days to rest. We have to pick the best players for each match”, he said.
“There are no ghosts or anything else from what happened last season."
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