"One victory is not going to save our season," were the words of Jorge Jesus in his press conference leading up to Sunday's match against V. Guimaraes.
The Portuguese manager has come under some fire over the last week or so after Benfica managed to lose the Portuguese League and the Europa League Final, but majority of Benfica fans and their President are confident that Jesus is still the the man for the job.
"All throughout the season we have said that the domestic league and the Taca de Portugal were our main priorities. This final is part of our objectives that we had initially set, but this one match will not save our 2012/13 campaign," Jesus told reporters.
A victory on Sunday would give Benfica their 25th Taca de Portugal title, which would keep the Lisbon side the record holders of titles in this competition.
Along with a potential 25th title, Benfica will be up against V. Guimaraes for a 157th time, across all competitions. Unfortunately for the Minhotos, they have only managed to beat the Aguias in 24 matches (15%). Benfica on the other hand, has defeated Guimaraes in 107 matches (69%), while they played to a draw in 25 matches (16%).
One of Benfica's captains, Maxi Pereira, is looking forward to being able to win his first Taca de Portugal since he arrived at Benfica in 2007.
"Benfica reached three finals in one season," the Uruguayan told reporters. "This is not a question of saving our season. It is just another objective that we have -- we want to win and end the season on a high."
After having to miss out of the Europa League final due to a suspension, Maxi will want to help his side keep V. Guimaraes from winning their first ever Taca de Portugal.
"This is a dream that not many coaches get an opportunity to take part in," the Guimaraes manager told reporters on Saturday.
"We have a lot of respect for Benfica because respect is a beautiful thing, and we also know of their abilities on and off the ball, but we are going to try and take advantage of our dream of bringing the title back to Guimaraes."
The Minhotos have the possibility of turning a potential historic campaign for Benfica, into something that not many would have imagined.
They lost the league in the final weeks, and managed to lose the Europa League Final in stoppage time. A defeat at the Estadio do Jamor on Sunday would really make the off-season very difficult for Benfica fans and their management.
Would a season without a title raise more question marks over Jorge Jesus' job?
From Benfica's point of view, failing to win this title will really have a significant effect on their players. Having the possibility to win three titles in the final three weeks of the season, only to come up empty handed is not only frustrating, but it also takes a large amount of confidence out of the team and fans.
For Guimaraes, this would be a victory that would clearly go down in history. A Taca de Portugal final is not something you always manage to achieve, so taking advantage of any opportunity you get at the Estadio do Jamor is always in the back of every players mind.
Rui Vitoria's team does not really have much pressure on them, if any, given the fact that realistically this match could really make or break Benfica's campaign.
If they are going to come up empty handed, it would devastating, while defeating Guimaraes in the final is something that most would expect, but anything is possible.
Will Guimaraes be yet another headache for Benfica on the final day of the 2012/13 campaign? Can Jorge Jesus' players pull together to win at least one title, adding some stability and confidence heading into the off-season?
