Torreense are preparing for another huge night in the Europa League, with Sunderland visiting Leiria for matchday two of the league phase.
The Portuguese side made history on matchday one with a 2-1 victory away to Norway’s Lillestrom, but now face a very different challenge against a club from the English top flight.
Assistant coach Carlos Simões and defender Javi Vázquez spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the game, with the former acknowledging the need for a response after last weekend’s 1-0 league defeat to Tondela.
“We know we’re coming off a tough league defeat, but the best way to respond is to have another game as soon as possible and show on the pitch that the team wants to change things. We’ve been putting in performances with some improvements, but we have the capacity to improve even more. We want to show that tomorrow [Thursday] on the pitch,” said the Spanish defender.
The match will be played at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, Torreense’s temporary European home, where they will attempt to produce another memorable result.
The size of the challenge is not lost on Simões, particularly when it comes to the financial disparity between the clubs.
“It will be a very difficult game against an excellent team. We are not going to compare budgets. One month’s salary for a Sunderland player is two years of Torreense’s budget. It will be a very difficult match, but we are aligned,” said Luís Tralhão’s assistant.
Sunderland’s physicality will also present a major test, but Torreense have no intention of abandoning the approach that took them to victory in Norway.
“English teams are very strong physically and Sunderland have players of great quality. We will stick to our game model, but adapt to the opponent, who has a lot of individual ability,” Simões said.
“However, when we started in this competition, we said that any point we earned would be a victory. History has already been made and we remain determined to keep doing more and better.”
The two sides are level on points heading into Thursday’s clash, with Sunderland also winning their opening fixture after beating Dutch side AZ Alkmaar 1-0 at home.
Torreense currently sit 15th in Portugal’s second tier, while Sunderland are 17th in the Premier League. The Portuguese club, the first-ever winners of the Taça de Portugal, will welcome the English side to Leiria on Thursday, with kick-off scheduled for 17:45.