Champions League: Braga versus Shakhtar Donetsk – Preview (Part 1)
The heart of Braga’s midfield Paulo Cesar has told that he is positive that his club will have an interesting clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.
In reference to the match the 30 year old midfielder stated he was confident that the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will be up and loaded for the match against them.
These statements from the Braga player came after the humiliation Arsenal enforced upon the Portuguese club about two weeks back in what seemed like a one sided encounter.
Men from the Portuguese side have now tasted their blood in the Champions League arena and therefore will be better prepared for their next test against Shakhtar Donetsk.
In the Arsenal match against the Portuguese side which happened at the home of Arsenal, Emirates Stadium, the North Londoners obliterated the runners up of Portuguese Liga by 6-0.
It was the first match of Europe’s Premier club competition and the fallen men from Portugal had to head back home with their heads dropped down in shame.
Now they have their second Group H battle against a team that is impressive on whole. They are the winners of Ukrainian Premier League Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Ukrainian champions Shakhtar, are known for their deep in team chemistry therefore a fascinating midfield and flanking game is expected.
Shakhtar are in good form too and that is not just because of their league title but as they have already defeated Partizan Belgrade in their opening match with a score line 1-0.
In a press release the Brazilian forward Cesar stated, “The boys are calm, we know what we have to do, and we are sure and completely confident in our own quality and capabilities.”
He stated the team is rejuvenated and refreshed after their defeat and therefore instead of the disappointed emotions they are filled with emotions of hope and ambition.
He added on the home ground issue explaining that the home factor always helped the hosts and that was a fact as fans can quite literally turn around a game by motivating their heroes and idols to the edge to perform.
He expressed, “Home games in the Champions League are of massive importance and we have to win ours. Braga have always been strong at home, always a tough team to beat, and we expect a great result in our debut match here.”
He did however admit that he knew this was going to be a tough match as the Ukrainian kings hailed from a country that is on the rise and there are a lot of spectacular players in the team.
The winger stated that the main thing was to contain the pressure without losing the ball and then making stupid mistakes.
Cesar admitted, “We know it's going to be a tough match, but we also know we have what it takes to win. What we have to do is make no mistakes and keep them under pressure.”
He praised the team saying, “Shakhtar are a great team - they're Ukrainian champions for a reason - but we are sure they're at our level.”
He elucidated that self belief was an important factor and therefore to aim to win the match Braga will have to believe in itself, as the famous saying goes; ‘God helps those who helps themselves.'
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