Ahead of Portugal's match against Colombia, midfielder Rúben Neves spoke with journalists about the upcoming fixture.

In a recent interview with SIC, you mentioned you're still in touch with your friend Diogo Jota, and he shared some emotional words with you. Did he make any special promises to you regarding this World Cup?

No, not really. First of all, this was always his dream, and he really wanted to participate in the World Cup. I participated in the World Cup for the first time in Qatar, but unfortunately he suffered an injury. So what matters most to me is that he is with me, with us, participating in this World Cup. Because I know that participating in a competition like this is one of the most important goals in his career.

What are your expectations for tomorrow's match? Coach Roberto Martínez just mentioned that he has prepared extensively for this game. Do you think Colombia's players will adapt better to the weather conditions? Also, with so many fans supporting them, it will feel almost like a home game for them. Do you think these factors will work more in their favor?

I hope not. We've been here for a while now and have adapted to Miami's climate and match conditions. Many of our players are familiar with these conditions, just like I am. I play in Saudi Arabia and have adapted very well to this kind of weather. So I don't think Colombia will gain any additional advantage from these factors. We've done a lot of preparation to minimize this gap. We know our strengths, and we will fight to win this match. I hope these factors won't affect us, and I hope they won't affect Colombia either, because we all want to play a great match.

You've always been one of the most frequently used players for the national team, but in this World Cup you haven't played yet. How do you handle this situation within the team? How do you keep yourself mentally sharp when watching from the bench?

It's certainly harder to watch the match from outside the pitch, but we must always be ready to play when needed. I think the coach has said that there are no so-called substitutes in this national team. We all know we must be ready to help the team at any moment.

In tournaments like this, we've seen in recent years that every player is important and everyone will have their moment. We train every day for this. Players who don't get much playing time are training very hard and performing very well so they can fulfill their duty when called upon.

One more question: do you agree with the coach's statement that it doesn't matter whether you finish first or second in the group?

No. We came here focused above all on the three group stage matches. We know it doesn't matter who we face later, because we first need to get through the group stage. So we're concentrating only on that right now.

We know we're very close to achieving this goal. We hope to win every match and will work hard to win every match, because we're a team capable of doing that, and that's what we're focused on now. As for what happens tomorrow, we will do everything to win, and then we'll think about the next opponent.

Are you aware that Portugal has many fans in Bangladesh? They support Cristiano Ronaldo and have millions of followers. Do you know about this situation? Every time Portugal beats teams like Uzbekistan, thousands of people take to the streets to celebrate. What do you think about that?

Thank you. He has fans all over the world, and that's incredible for us. Because wherever we go, we feel like we're playing at home, and everyone wants us to win. It's really wonderful that the national team receives such support.

You've won the UEFA Nations League twice with Portugal, so you know what's needed for the national team to win major tournaments. What do you think Portugal needs to do to have a chance of winning the FIFA World Cup?

This is a very important tournament. As I said before, we need to focus on one match at a time, on every match. First we need to get through the group stage, and that's our current goal. As for tomorrow's match, we will do everything to win, and then we'll think about the next opponent.

What dangers do you think Portugal currently faces? How much do you know about Colombia? How would you evaluate their performance in their first two matches? How much would it affect Portugal if you don't win and miss out on first place in the group?

We're not thinking about losing; we're only thinking about winning, so I can't answer that question. We're focused on that. We know Colombia is a very strong team. We've watched their first two matches, and they played very well. Now we're preparing for this match as best we can to secure a victory.

I notice you provide good structural stability for the team through long passes and distribution. However, Colombia's defense, made up of Lucumí and Davinson Sánchez, has conceded only one goal and recorded 12 blocks. How do you plan to disrupt their rhythm and create space for your attackers?

That's exactly what we've been doing. From the first match to the second, I think we've made a lot of progress in this area. We need to continue doing this, find the right spaces, look for gaps between the lines to create opportunities for our attackers, because we have the quality to do it.

At the same time, we need to create one-on-one situations as well. From the perspective of the defensive players, our job is to find these opportunities and deliver the right passes. That's also what we want to do in this match.

What do you make of Portugal's two very different performances in this tournament? The first match seemed to disappoint the nation, while the second allowed you to regain respect. How have you experienced this contrast within the team? Starting with Colombia, the intensity will increase, which is also preparation for the more difficult knockout stages ahead. What kind of Portugal do you think we'll see next?

In tournaments like this, every match is difficult. Fortunately, we see similar situations in other national teams too. Certainly, we will play and do our best to win every match. We didn't perform at our best in the first match against Congo, so we had to make adjustments for the second match. The second match went very smoothly, and we showed our normal level.

As you said, we need to continue improving in the match against Colombia, because I hope we will play more matches. If we can improve a little bit in each match compared to the previous one, we can go further.

AI 번역.

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