Leading up to the derby, Jonathan Viera spoke during a press conference, saying that the team "doesn't need motivation, they're all focused on." "As captain and with my experience in these games, I assure you that you win calmly, emotions typically play tricks, and I think what happened to us last year will help us, we left really worried and we recognised that," he stated.

The captain stated that "playing like we know how, we are good with the ball, and that is where we have to stress" is the key to win.

"Derbys are usually unique, and people always remember the first one. When I was a child, it already was special, so imagine now that I'm the captain" Viera stated, adding, "One becomes a player for this sort of encounter, I really like." ".

He also had these words for the fans: "I've been here for a long time, and I've seen very little of what I saw at the end of last year and what I'm seeing this year. You need to hook them even more and give them a victory, that I know is incredibly important to them."

Concerning the competitor: "We know that the teams who come here will play in the same manner; they know that if they come to play one on one, they will have a difficult time; we must be patient and strive to stay ahead of the scoreboard. if we do, we would have part of the match won". 

Jonathan is convinced that "We would have had seven or eight more points if the team had been more successful up forward. “We don't have to get obsessive." He said, "You have to win to shift the dynamic, and Saturday is a fantastic opportunity to do that."