Leonardo Jardim calls for fan support for match against ‘rested’ Juventude: ‘We have to fill Mineirão’
Coach Leonardo Jardim maintained his composure after Cruzeiro took the lead in the Brazilian Championship. This Thursday (July 17th), the team defeated Fluminense 2-0 at Maracanã in the 14th round, overtaking Flamengo in the Série A standings.
In a press conference after the victory in Rio de Janeiro, Jardim preferred to focus on Cruzeiro’s next match in the Brasileirão: against Juventude, this Sunday (July 20th), at Mineirão.
The Portuguese coach also asked for the fans’ support for the match against a “fresher” opponent trying to escape the relegation zone. “Honestly, I’m not bothered by my position in the table. What bothers me is thinking that we have a game in three days. Juventude needs points and is fresher than us. We have to fill Mineirão to get the three points,” declared the coach. “It’s crucial to make sense of the results we had against Grêmio and Fluminense. We need the fans’ support because our team will be less fresh and needs to take the game seriously and beat Juventude,” he added.
