On September 17 at 3:00 AM Beijing time (UTC+8) Benfica will face AC Milan away in the first match of the Europa League group stage. On the eve of the match, Benfica defender Circati attended a press conference.

Hello Circati, what kind of match do you expect tomorrow? And I know it ultimately depends on head coach Marco Silva's decision, but I'm still curious to know if you already know whether you'll be in the starting lineup tomorrow?

Regarding tomorrow's match, I can say with great confidence that it will be a very intense encounter. Both teams will approach this match with the mindset of achieving a good result, collecting points, and solidifying their position in the standings. This will definitely not be easy, as both teams are excellent and great, and both sides are eager to display high-quality football. I'm sure your head coach knows his team better than I do. Basically, it's simply a great football match, that's all—it's just a football match. However, our approach to this match is to give everything, to fight for the win, and to leave everything we have on the pitch. As for your other question, that's a question you should ask the head coach.

Good evening Alessandro, last season you made 31 appearances for Parma under Spanish coach Carlos Cuesta and started almost every match. How much did this Spanish coach help you achieve a breakthrough in your career and improve your playing style?

Yes, of course, that was very important for me. After the serious injury I suffered, the recovery process was not easy. But that season I was extremely eager to prove myself again, and more than anything else I wanted to prove to myself what I could achieve on the pitch and to play as many matches as possible. As you just mentioned, 31 matches—while I hadn't set a specific target at the beginning of the season, I hoped to reach around 30 matches, and ultimately I achieved that.

You played for an ambitious club like Parma, and now you're at a prestigious club like Benfica. These are two completely different stories: Parma once had glorious times, while Benfica has a long and incredibly rich history. What is the biggest difference you feel between playing for Parma and Benfica?

The difference is very obvious. When I first arrived at Benfica, it felt like a completely different world. This concerns not only the facilities or the organizational structure of the club, but also because at Benfica our goal in every match is to compete for league titles, cup titles, and trophies in various competitions; whereas at Parma the main objective is to avoid relegation and stay in Serie A.

Therefore, the situations and positions of the two clubs are completely different—one fights to win all titles, while the other fights for survival. This fundamental difference significantly changes your mindset and approach to every match and even the entire season.

Übersetzt von KI.

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