Torreense to host Sunderland in Europa League at Leiria on Thursday
Torreense will host Sunderland at the Municipal Stadium in Leiria in a Europa League match on Thursday, kick-off 17:45 BST, marking the first European home fixture the club has staged.
The 2,431-capacity side from 35 miles north of Lisbon are a Portuguese second-tier club that last played top-flight football in 1991-92 and earned a place in this season's Europa League by beating Sporting to lift the Taça de Portugal in May. Torreense defeated Sporting 2-1 in the cup final after Stopira, the club captain and Cape Verde international, scored a penalty in extra time. Their domestic schedule this season includes fixtures against the 'B' teams of Sporting, Benfica and Porto.
Their home ground, Estadio Manuel Marques, does not meet Uefa stadium criteria, and Torreense will therefore stage the Sunderland game almost 47 miles away in Leiria. "Obviously, it is not ideal," Andre Sabino, the club's director of football and CEO, explains. "Playing at home should mean playing in your own stadium, in front of your own supporters and in the environment that represents your club. But at the same time, we understand the logistical and regulatory requirements involved in European competition. We have to look at the bigger picture. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Europa League, and we will make Leiria feel as much like home as possible."
Torreense have already made their European debut away to Lillestrom and beat the Norwegian side, a result that delivered 630,000 euros (£533,000) to the club. Their Europa League group schedule includes further matches against Ferencvaros, Ararat-Armenia, Celtic, Real Sociedad, Lech Poznan and Olympiacos before the end of January. Portuguese football journalist and ex-Benfica goalkeeper Jose Delgado noted the rarity of a second-division cup winner: "The Portuguese Cup has been played since 1938 in its current model and it was the first time that a second division team won it," he tells BBC Sport. "You can imagine when they could defeat a giant club like Sporting in the final, it was quite a surprise and for the city, it's something very, very special."
Delgado also commented on early continental form and expectations. "I thought that Torreense could go through the Europa League with no points," he adds. "The truth is that they already have three points and that is something. It's something that I don't think will ever happen again in Portuguese football. But Torreense has this." He later said: "For Portuguese football, everybody [thought it] was nice that a club like Torreense won the cup, but also we had some concerns. The first game everybody thought that Torreense had no chance against Lillestrom and they won. It was quite a good surprise. But it's like a fairytale for Torreense because they are a small club."
The European place carries significant financial implications: qualification for the Europa League's league phase guarantees at least 5m euros (£4.2m), and every positive result or additional round increases that total. Sabino highlighted how the money could be used: "For a club like Torreense, it is a very significant amount," he explains. "It gives us an opportunity to strengthen the club in several areas and to accelerate projects that otherwise would naturally take much longer. However, we have to be very responsible. Success can create opportunities, but it also creates responsibilities. Our objective is not simply to spend more because we have more resources. We want to invest intelligently, strengthen the structure of the club and create conditions for sustainable growth."
On the playing side, Torreense are managed by Luis Tralhao, whose brother Joao is currently serving as an assistant to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The club made 19 new signings from countries including France, Greece, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco and Germany, with most recruits arriving from outside those nations' top divisions. Of a 32-man senior squad, just four players are Portuguese; Sabino said of the change: "It has been a very different challenge. European football changes the perception of the club and naturally makes Torreense more attractive to certain players, but it also increases expectations."
Domestically, Torreense missed out on promotion after a 2-0 two-legged defeat by Casa Pia in a play-off in May and won only one of their opening seven league games this season. Sabino pointed to supporter engagement ahead of the European home match: "Our supporters and our people are what make a home, regardless of the kilometers. The response from our supporters has been fantastic. They understand that this is a historic moment for Torreense and they want to experience it with us. We hope to see Leiria filled with Torreense colours and feel that support from the first minute."
Torreense will host Sunderland at the Municipal Stadium in Leiria on Thursday at 17:45 BST, the club's first-ever European home match and their next fixture in the Europa League.
