Francesco Farioli said FC Porto can beat PSV on Tuesday if the crowd is behind them, even as he pointed to the Dutch side's run of success as proof of how hard the test will be. The Porto coach made the remarks on Monday before the Champions League league-phase meeting in Portugal.
Farioli did not try to dress up PSV as anything other than a serious threat. He said they have won the league title three times in a row, scored more than 100 goals in the Eredivisie in each of the past three seasons and lifted the title last year by almost 20 points. Porto need that warning. They lost 0-2 to Manchester City and 3-2 to Real Betis in the Champions League, while PSV have taken a point from a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk and lost narrowly 1-0 at RB Leipzig.
The matchup also carries the imprint of Farioli's past without being ruled by it. He said the work he did at Ajax is behind him now, yet he also noted that he beat PSV twice during that spell. He added that he had a good relationship with the people at Ajax and the management, and said those friendships remain. That is the balance he now has to strike: respect the opponent, leave the old chapter alone and still believe the home side can turn its support into points.
Farioli's respect for PSV is rooted in the way Peter Bosz's teams play. He described them as recognisable, attacking and intense, which is exactly why Porto's margin for error will be small. The question is not whether PSV arrive with form and firepower. It is whether Porto can make the home setting count in a match that could shape their Champions League response.
