Ahead of the Europa League clash against Nottingham Forest, Porto manager Francesco Farioli and defender Thiago Silva have spoken about the difficulty of playing against English clubs
FC Porto’s struggles on English soil are well documented, but that only serves as extra motivation on Thursday as they look to find a way past Nottingham Forest and into the Europa League semi-finals after the first leg ended 1-1 in northern Portugal.
Porto have never won a competitive game in England and have only advanced in three of their 15 knockout ties against English opposition, the most recent such successful attempt coming in 2004 as they defeated Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16 en route to winning the competition.
Naturally, that record has been a talking point once again in the build-up to Thursday’s second leg.
Farioli admits history gives the game an edge
At his pre-match press conference, Porto manager Francesco Farioli was asked if Porto’s poor record in England had come into his thoughts in preparation for the game. While he played down the significance, he conceded that it gave his side a chance to change the narrative.
“In reality, [this game] isn’t about making records or breaking negative dynamics,” said Farioli.
“We came here with the desire to write an important page in the history of FC Porto, with the clear intention of making our supporters happy.
“We are playing mainly for this, but of course if we can also change the dynamic of the past of Porto with English teams then that is an addition which is good, but the priority for us is to play a big game and have a good performance.”
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Thiago Silva says 99% isn’t enough against English teams
Meanwhile, Porto defender Thiago Silva, who is expected to start again in the Europa League despite not featuring in the Dragons’ last seven Liga games, has spoken about the difficulty of playing against English teams.
The 41-year-old spent fours years at Chelsea, helping them lift the Champions League trophy in 2021, so he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to English football.
“To beat Premier League teams at their own ground, we’ll have be at 100%, if we’re only 99%, that isn’t enough,” Thiago Silva told the press ahead of tonight’s game.
The Brazilian also spoke about the importance of preparing well for these games, drawing again on his experience of many years at the top level.
“These games aren’t won or lost on the day of the game,” said Thiago Silva.
“It’s all to do with your preparation. When you stop preparing, that takes you further away from success and your dreams.
“This group works very hard. Does that mean we’re going to win? No, but it takes us closer to victory, it gives us a calmness.”