Portsmouth Football Club News

Pompey have arrived in Portugal for the City of Guimaraes Trophy. Paul Hart, his players and backroom team, and club officials arrived at Gatwick early on Wednesday afternoon for the two-hour flight to Porto’s Francisco de Sa Carneiro airport. They left behind cloudy skies and drizzle and arrived to bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s. The Blues will undergo a gruelling double training session on Thursday as they continue to up their fitness levels ahead of the new Premier League campaign. They will also face top-class opposition in the shape of Portuguese giants Vitoria SC and Benfica. First up is a match against hosts Vitoria at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques on Friday – a game that should bring back happy memories for Blues fans. Pompey met them in the UEFA Cup first round last season, taking a two-goal lead into the away leg. Thousands of Blues fans swamped the city of Guimaraes, excited at the prospect of a first ever away match in a major European competition But they were stunned when goals from Douglas and Joao Alves brought the aggregate scores level. Fortunately a Peter Crouch brace in extra-time eventually saw them prevail to reach the group stages. On Saturday Pompey take on Benfica, who will play in the forthcoming season’s Europa League following their third-place finish in the Portuguese top flight. It is sure to be a difficult fixture against a side who have won their national title 31 times and the Portuguese Cup 27 times. Benfica – who have recently signed Argentine forward Javier Saviola from Real Madird – were also twice champions of Europe, in 1961 and 1962. The Portuguese sides meet on Sunday to bring the tournament to a close, before Pompey jet back to England to prepare for the visit of Scottish champions Rangers on Saturday, August 8.

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Filed under: Portsmouth News

Pompey have arrived in Portugal for the City of Guimaraes Trophy. Paul Hart, his players and backroom team, and club officials arrived at Gatwick early on Wednesday afternoon for the two-hour flight to Porto’s Francisco de Sa Carneiro airport. They left behind cloudy skies and drizzle and arrived to bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s. The Blues will undergo a gruelling double training session on Thursday as they continue to up their fitness levels ahead of the new Premier League campaign. They will also face top-class opposition in the shape of Portuguese giants Vitoria SC and Benfica. First up is a match against hosts Vitoria at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques on Friday – a game that should bring back happy memories for Blues fans. Pompey met them in the UEFA Cup first round last season, taking a two-goal lead into the away leg. Thousands of Blues fans swamped the city of Guimaraes, excited at the prospect of a first ever away match in a major European competition But they were stunned when goals from Douglas and Joao Alves brought the aggregate scores level. Fortunately a Peter Crouch brace in extra-time eventually saw them prevail to reach the group stages. On Saturday Pompey take on Benfica, who will play in the forthcoming season’s Europa League following their third-place finish in the Portuguese top flight. It is sure to be a difficult fixture against a side who have won their national title 31 times and the Portuguese Cup 27 times. Benfica – who have recently signed Argentine forward Javier Saviola from Real Madird – were also twice champions of Europe, in 1961 and 1962. The Portuguese sides meet on Sunday to bring the tournament to a close, before Pompey jet back to England to prepare for the visit of Scottish champions Rangers on Saturday, August 8.

Click here to read the full article

Filed under: Portsmouth News