According to Vicens, Nice will be a tough opponent on all levels.

Coach Carlos Vicens stressed the need for Sp. Braga to focus on playing well on the pitch against French side Nice on Thursday, in the sixth round of the Europa League. He also spoke about Rodrigo Zalazar’s suspension.

Preview of Nice

“We analyzed the opponent without evaluating their internal situation, their social situation, or the players’ situation, because that’s something we can’t control. What we can do is prepare well for Nice’s collective and individual strengths, and then mentally prepare ourselves to go into the game very competitive, ambitious, and with a lot of personality.”

“I expect a demanding game on all levels, where we need to control the game, press Nice’s build-up play, and defend our area. It will also be demanding in terms of maintaining that intensity for the entire 90 minutes. It will require a collective effort from everyone.”

Classification

“We have points in the Europa League that allow us to secure the play-off spot tomorrow [Thursday], but the team needs to focus on going in with a top mentality to play at the highest level. We’ve already realized that all our Europa League rivals demand the maximum. The opponent doesn’t have points, but we have to focus on playing a good game on the pitch and not on looking at the table.”

Rodrigo Zalazar suspended

“He won’t be able to be there, and we have to focus on those who are and try to choose well those who can give us the most from the start and those who can help during the game. Games are won by the whole team, because some start and others finish.