Jesus realistic about Barcelona dominance
Reuters - Monday 01 October 2012, 18:54
Any coach who says his team can share possession equally in a match against Barcelona is a "liar", Benfica coach Jorge Jesus said on Monday ahead of the teams' Champions League Group G match.
"If a coach says they will divide the match with Barcelona they lie. I could say so myself today but then we would get there tomorrow and it would be a lie," the coach told a news conference at the Luz stadium in Lisbon.
"Barcelona always get between 60 and 70 percent of possession and we are going to have to run a lot," Jesus said.
Benfica will rely on little-known duo Nemanja Matic and Enzo Perez, who have played only a handful of games since signing in 2011, to lead the Portuguese league leaders against the Spanish side.
Jesus will take heart from a hard-fought comeback win against Pacos de Ferreira over the weekend in which Brazilian striker Lima scored twice and from the goalless draw at Celtic in their Champions League opener.