Jorge Jesus after Thursday's Europa League loss

Speaking at the final whistle after Thursday's 3-1 loss in Leverkusen, Jorge Jesus pointed the finger at the fatigue brought on by a packed fixture list.

“Most of the lads who started tonight didn't play against Boavista. We played really well for 60 minutes, but Leverkusen were the more pragmatic and scored. From the few chances they had they came away with goals. When I made substitutions I thought it would help the team, but actually played against us. After conceding the second we tried to respond, but they scored a third goal from a long pass forward", opened the Alvalade boss, adding: We lost against a team that play some really intense and dynamic football, but we stepped up. We can take some positives and negatives away from the game, but I liked some of the players who haven't had much time on the pitch and I think they responded well."

Jesus finished by turning his attention to the domestic campaign, where his side sit top of Liga NOS: "When I arrived, I promised I would fight for titles in Portugal. It was us who won the first trophy of the season and we are fighting hard in the most important competition. It was what was promised and we are in first. We are really happy with what we have managed to do so far."