Porto Coach Martin Anselmi Warns That No Club World Cup Game Will Be Easy Against Inter Miami

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Porto's coach, Martin Anselmi, emphasised the challenges his team faces in the Club World Cup. The Portuguese side began their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Palmeiras, who have won the Copa Libertadores three times. Despite not scoring, Palmeiras dominated with chances worth 2.1 expected goals. Porto's goalkeeper Claudio Ramos made crucial saves, filling in for the injured Diogo Costa.

The match marked the second goalless draw of the tournament, following Inter Miami's stalemate with Al Ahly in Group A's opening game. Miami's goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was instrumental, making eight saves and achieving a goals-prevented value of 2.99. Porto and Miami are set to face each other on Thursday.

Anselmi dismissed claims that Porto had already faced their toughest group opponent. "The most important game is the next one," he stated. He acknowledged that winning is challenging and no team offers easy victories. He noted that while Bayern Munich had a significant win over Auckland City, Porto's group presents tougher competition.

Palmeiras managed 39 touches inside Porto's penalty area, the most any team has achieved against them since Manchester United's 42 touches in a Europa League match last October. Anselmi highlighted that competing was their main goal, which they accomplished by keeping consecutive clean sheets for the first time since December.

Anselmi praised his team's defensive efforts and ability to close down spaces effectively. He noted that while they found good passing opportunities, precision was lacking at times. "We had good moments and clear chances," he added, commending Claudio Ramos' performance as a reliable goalkeeper for five years.

Despite losing rhythm and ball control later in the match, Anselmi expressed satisfaction with his players' determination to fight until the end. He believes starting against Palmeiras set a beneficial rhythm for future matches.

Inter Miami's Struggles

Inter Miami may boast stars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets, but Javier Mascherano’s team is struggling. They have only won three of their last 11 matches across all competitions (D3 L5), with all victories occurring at home.

Their away form has been poor; they haven't secured an away win since defeating Columbus Crew 1-0 on April 19th. Additionally, Miami has lost five of their last seven games at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Thursday’s match will take place.

Anselmi concluded by stating that starting against such a strong opponent as Palmeiras was advantageous for setting a competitive pace moving forward in the tournament.