Sp. Braga’s coach also addresses the postponement of the game against Casa Pia, for the League.
While acknowledging the unique nature of a European qualifier, the Sp. Braga coach promises an ambitious and highly motivated team against Ferencváros and addresses the postponement of the Portuguese League match against Casa Pia:
Did the draw against Sporting give them more motivation for the Europa League?
It was a result achieved near the end. In the last two games, the team had to fight until the last minute to get points. This showed that the team believes in what we do. This is a different competition; you start a knockout round with two games. European competitions become more interesting from these knockout rounds onwards, where only one team qualifies. We are motivated and very ambitious, knowing that we will face difficulties because of the opponent, as this is also a historic opportunity for them. They will give everything, but we are ambitious to compete very well, paying attention to the details, which can be decisive for success or failure in this round. We will try to play a good game tomorrow.
Could a bye in the league this weekend help Sporting Braga?
Ferencváros also postponed their game, so the two teams will face each other without interruption in this tie. As the second leg is next Wednesday, it made perfect sense to postpone the (league) game. First, we have to enjoy tomorrow’s game, which is the most important, knowing that it will be the first leg of a two-legged tie. We have to be very attentive to all the dangers that Ferencváros will present, showing a competitive version of Sp. Braga at the highest level.
Is the team strong despite the fatigue?
“The team is ambitious and highly motivated. One of our season’s objectives was to qualify directly for the Europa League Round of 16. We will compete with great ambition, knowing that we will have to adapt to the different phases of this tie. We will have more balanced phases, others with one team having the upper hand, and in these circumstances we have to be able to be super competitive at all times, in order to achieve our goal of qualifying for the quarter=finals.