Sporting de Braga prepares themselves for a big time match with Manchester United. The Portuguese side will encounter a motivated and in-form English side, but they will head into the match looking to make history.
Coming off a victory in their last Champions League match in Turkey, club President Antonio Salvador hopes that their last result will give the squad confidence and a morale boost heading into Tuesday's match.
"We know that we are going to face one of the top three teams in the world, but Braga is already used to dealing with matches of this caliber. We have to be humble when we present ourselves at Old Trafford," said Salvador.
"Our mentality needs to be the same as it was in Istanbul. If the draw is enough? We can only think about the victory. Braga is a club that has already made history and they will continue to do it again."
The Braga President does well in thinking this way, but it is more than clear that they will not have it easy at Old Trafford. A historic stadium, against one of the world's top teams is more than enough ingredients for a very interesting match.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has also admitted that he will be giving Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the day off on Tuesday.
"Ferdinand and Evra will not play," said Ferguson.
"We have a big match on Sunday against Chelsea. They are both two main changes for the match on Tuesday."
Other than Ferdinand and Evra, Phil Jones, Vidic and Chris Smalling will also be missing in action due to injury problems.
As for the match, realistically, Braga is going to encounter difficulties. The Portuguese side can expect to turn to their best players, but their best can't be compared with the fire power Manchester United has at their disposal.
Players such as Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie are just a few of the scintillating names that Alex Ferguson has in his deck of cards.
Looking at last seasons campaign, Alex Ferguson's experiments or over confidence cost him a place in the knockout round of the competition. Braga will certainly use that as added motivation, especially considering the fact that he is leaving Evra and Ferdinand out of the squad, with Scholes another possible alteration in the midfield.
Just like Benfica did last season, Braga has every right to hope for a positive result, whether that be a draw or a win. Clearly a victory at Old Trafford will not only be difficult, but that would certainly send massive ripple effects through Fegie's side.
One can expect a very tight match with Braga looking to take advantage of a soft United midfield, but the Portuguese side will need to make sure they don't allow the home side to much space. An early goal for United could really open the flood gates for a goal fest at Old Trafford.
Could United's focus on their upcoming match with Chelsea take their attention away from Tuesday's match, causing them to underachieve?
"We know that we are going to face one of the top three teams in the world, but Braga is already used to dealing with matches of this caliber. We have to be humble when we present ourselves at Old Trafford," said Salvador.
"Our mentality needs to be the same as it was in Istanbul. If the draw is enough? We can only think about the victory. Braga is a club that has already made history and they will continue to do it again."
The Braga President does well in thinking this way, but it is more than clear that they will not have it easy at Old Trafford. A historic stadium, against one of the world's top teams is more than enough ingredients for a very interesting match.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has also admitted that he will be giving Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the day off on Tuesday.
"Ferdinand and Evra will not play," said Ferguson.
"We have a big match on Sunday against Chelsea. They are both two main changes for the match on Tuesday."
Other than Ferdinand and Evra, Phil Jones, Vidic and Chris Smalling will also be missing in action due to injury problems.
As for the match, realistically, Braga is going to encounter difficulties. The Portuguese side can expect to turn to their best players, but their best can't be compared with the fire power Manchester United has at their disposal.
Players such as Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie are just a few of the scintillating names that Alex Ferguson has in his deck of cards.
Looking at last seasons campaign, Alex Ferguson's experiments or over confidence cost him a place in the knockout round of the competition. Braga will certainly use that as added motivation, especially considering the fact that he is leaving Evra and Ferdinand out of the squad, with Scholes another possible alteration in the midfield.
Just like Benfica did last season, Braga has every right to hope for a positive result, whether that be a draw or a win. Clearly a victory at Old Trafford will not only be difficult, but that would certainly send massive ripple effects through Fegie's side.
One can expect a very tight match with Braga looking to take advantage of a soft United midfield, but the Portuguese side will need to make sure they don't allow the home side to much space. An early goal for United could really open the flood gates for a goal fest at Old Trafford.
Could United's focus on their upcoming match with Chelsea take their attention away from Tuesday's match, causing them to underachieve?
