PORTO, Portugal (AP) — Porto hired Martín Anselmi as coach on Monday with an immediate task of getting the two-time European champion into the knockout stage of the Europa League.
Anselmi also will prepare Porto for the end-of-season Club World Cup in the United States, where it has been drawn in a group with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Porto is in 25th place in the 36-team Europa League standings ahead of its game against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday. Porto needs at least a draw to climb into the top 24 spots and earn a place in the knockout playoffs round.
The 39-year-old Argentine coach signed a contract through June 2027. He was presented at a news conference by Porto president André Villas-Boas and criticized officials at his previous club Cruz Azul in Mexico, saying they didn't honor an agreement to release him.
Porto is in third place in the Portuguese league and had been struggling in the Europa League, which led to coach Vítor Bruno being fired last week.
Porto qualified for the expanded 32-team Club World Cup as one of Europe’s 12 entries because of consistent results in the past four editions of the Champions League. Porto’s other group opponents are Palmeiras and Al Ahly.
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The Associated Press
