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SC Braga coach Carlos Carvalhal said today that he expects a “strong” AEK Athens on Thursday, but stressed the importance of starting to win in Group G of the soccer Europa League.
The Braga players are reunited with the rival who ‘sponsored’ their debut in European competitions, then in the defunct Recopa, 54 years ago (1966), and Carlos Carvalhal expects a “strong AEK, which in the Europa League does not lose [fora] since 2011, and participated in several editions, and has not conceded goals in the last 10 games “.
“This already illustrates the difficulties we will encounter. He defends well, he has an Italian coach [Massimo Carrera]He is strong on dead balls and on the counterattack, but we prepare well ”, the coach listed in the previous match.
That is why Carlos Carvalhal wants a SC Braga “committed” to ‘killing’ these “sheep” and he showed confidence in his team.
“We are on the right track, with a strong offensive slant, we are creating scoring opportunities and we want to continue that, we have deep knowledge of AEK and we are extremely motivated for this game,” he said.
Mandatory mask and distance when the public returns to the Braga stadium
The coach defended that Leicester is “at another level” in group G, which does not guarantee the passage to the next stage, because “the games must be played”, and that the “other three [equipas] they are equivalent ”, also recalling Zorya’s Ukrainians, who eliminated Minho two seasons ago in the same competition.
The coach considered the experience accumulated by Braga in the Europa League in recent years important.
“Experience is living a situation. For example, coming to a press conference for the first time can cause anxiety, but then it becomes normal, we are calmer to face the situation. It helps to have players with international experience, and successful in many games, yes, “he said.
Emphasizing that, “in football, winning is everything”, Carlos Carvalhal pointed out that “the pressure in a club like Braga is always the same, winning matches”, and considered it important to win the first match “in a tournament of these characteristics ”, a six-game group stage, although devaluing the home factor.
“Without an audience, the games end up being on a neutral field, it has a relative weight to play at home or away,” he said.
The technician also guaranteed that the game system did not change, but only the dynamics.
“In these four games, we have never changed the way we play, the system change was noted, but the identity is the same, what we did was evolve our system. We don’t want our team to start the first day in one way and for the 20th it’s the same, ”he said.
Gaitán began working with the fully integrated team, after injury, just on Monday, and will be one of the 23 players called up by Carvalhal, “but he is not at his best level” and should not be an option for the coach.
Rui Fonte, recovering from surgery on his left knee, is the only one unavailable.
SC Braga and AEK Atenas will meet from 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, a match that will be refereed by the Frenchman Ruddy Buquet.
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