Rafael Leao spoke before the match against Sporting: 'It will be a difficult match, we will play to win'

Portuguese football player Rafael Leao made a statement at the press conference held at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, where the match will be held, before the match, which will start at 22:00 GMT tomorrow.

Stating that a very difficult match awaits them, Leao said, "I follow Sporting. They play very good football, they have very quality players. I told my teammates that it will be a difficult match. We want to show our quality by respecting the opponent. We did very well last season. We won against very big teams. We will play to win tomorrow."

"SPORTING IS A TEAM I LIKE, BUT..."

Reminding that he grew up in the Sporting infrastructure, the star attacker said, "It will be a different match. I will play against Sporting for the first time. It is a club that I love very much, that helped me develop and reach this level."

Emphasizing that he is focusing on Galatasaray, Leao said, "Sporting is a team that I love very much, but I cannot focus on them today. I am a football player of Galatasaray. The jersey I wear is the Galatasaray jersey. We came here to win. We will try to win. Sporting is a very strong team. They have players who can do very different things."

Rafael Leao, who left Sporting after a dramatic incident, said: "I have always received support when I played here. I think there will not be a strange atmosphere between me and the fans. They will respect me. It will be a complicated situation for both sides. I think nothing bad will happen and our respect and feelings will remain the same. The important thing here is to have fun and enjoy football. I have not played in the Champions League for two years. I am happy to be back. I have to defend my own jersey. This is the Galatasaray jersey. That is the most important thing."

The Portuguese football player stated that he gave information about Sporting to his teammates and said, "I warned my teammates about Sporting. I talked about the players they have and their form. I think it will be a very difficult match. Small details will determine the result. We prepared well this week. We worked hard on set pieces. Because Sporting is very strong in set pieces. I think we have enough quality. We can make a difference at any moment of the match. It will be a match in which we need to focus from the first minute of the match to the end."

LACK OF OSIMHEN, LEMINA AND SINGO

Rafael Leao stated that they will try not to make the injured Victor Osimhen, Mario Lemina and Wilfried Singo feel their absence.

Referring especially to Osimhen's impact on the team, the 27-year-old player said, "They are very important players for us. They will not be with us tomorrow. They help us a lot in attack. However, Galatasaray has built a very good squad this summer. There are many players who can play in every position. I think we can win this way tomorrow."

"I AM PHYSICALLY FINE"

Leao said that he has recovered from the injury he suffered while at Milan and is physically fine.

When asked about his condition, Leao said, "I am physically fine. I had a minor injury. I got over it two weeks ago, but I am back now. The technical team and medical team at Galatasaray helped me return quickly. I am ready to help my team and win tomorrow."

"THIS SUMMER I FELT IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE"

Rafael Leao talked about his dialogue with coach Ruben Amorim during the process of leaving Milan and transferring to Galatasaray.

Talking about his meeting with Portuguese Amorim, who once coached Sporting and currently works in Milan, Leao said: "Sometimes you have to make a change in life. I was playing for Milan. This summer I felt it was time to make that change. I talked to Amorim. We always had an open communication. I always heard very good things about him. I didn't know him very well, but I heard good things from my friends in the national team. They always told me that he was a good coach and a great person. Our relationship was good. I talked to him and said that I wanted to make a change. He respected my decision. I left there on a good note. He helped me a lot. I contributed a lot to them. "Today I am a Galatasaray player and I hope Milan can continue well. I will continue to be a Milan fan."