After six pre-season tests, Belenenses SAD will kick off today against Mafra without… reinforcements in the eleven. Sandro is injured and Pedro Nuno, already reinstated after an injury, will be on the bench, with no rhythm. There is also Trova Boni (Mechelen) and Rafa Santos (Oriental) as new, but young, faces, and Petit made it clear that more will be needed for what is to come.
“We lost six holders. Sandro and Pedro Nuno arrived, the rest are players who were already here, except for Boni and Rafa, who are kids. We have a very young team, we need experience. The faster we get the group defined, the better. The later they arrive, the later they get into the rhythm, in the coach’s ideas and it’s decisive to start the League with points, to give confidence», warned the coach, who joked about today’s reunion between his father (Ricardo Sousa, Mafra coach ) and son (Afonso Sousa, blue midfielder): «There’s respect, Sousa is doing his job, Afonso his. I can play like I played today [ontem], so he won’t say anything to his father, but it’s part of it. Each one fights for his club and each one will want to win.”
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