On the eve of Portugal's match against Turkey in the second round of the UEFA Europa League group stage on June 23, Beijing time, Portuguese striker Léo attended a press conference. He said that it has always been his dream and goal to participate in the European Cup and is mentally prepared for it.
Speaking about his performance in the first leg, Léo felt that he worked hard to create chances and change the game in the first half, and that he was satisfied with the contribution of his teammates who came on as substitutes, despite not having much possession in the second half. He said that he is ready to play both in the starting XI and as a substitute, and emphasized that the Portuguese national team has a lot of good players.
Leo believes that with his ability and form, he is fully capable of being an undisputed starter, but he also emphasized that his teammates are equally good. He is looking forward to showing what he can do in tomorrow's game and proving why he should be the starter.
Regarding tomorrow's match, Léo said that it is an important and decisive match and Portugal will fight to win. He believes that Turkey is a dangerous team with great individual ability, so Portugal can't give them too much space. At the same time, he expects a more open game, which will be more favorable for the front players to show their attacking prowess.
Speaking about Turkey's key players, Léo mentioned Çalhanoglu, Güler and Yilmaz as all capable of making a difference for Turkey. Regarding the 30,000 to 40,000 Turkish fans expected to come to the venue, Léo said that the Portuguese team is ready to deal with such adversity.
In addition, Léo talked about the team atmosphere and the performance of the young players in the Portuguese team. He believes that the atmosphere of the Portuguese team has always been good and that there is a good connection between the young players and the older ones, which is passed on to the game. At the same time, he said that he only cares about his own performance and that of his national team, not about other teams or players. Finally, he emphasized that the Portuguese team is mentally prepared and very focused because they know that this is a decisive match for qualification to the group stage.
