Sporting Braga coach Carlos Vicens underscored his team’s focus on European ambition and growth, prioritizing a pivotal Europa League clash against Genk to rebound from a recent domestic league defeat.
Braga will host Genk on Thursday for the fourth matchday of the Europa League group stage. A victory would elevate the Portuguese side to 12 points in the UEFA competition.
The upcoming European fixture follows a 2-1 domestic league loss to FC Porto last Sunday. Vicens addressed the media, outlining his expectation for a return to winning ways.
“I think the team is growing, we are in this process of becoming the team we want to be and the players are believing in this way of doing things,” Vicens stated. “We are getting better and better, playing with great personality, and the results in the Europa League are a consequence of being ambitious and entering every game to win.”
He warned that Thursday’s match would be challenging. “Tomorrow will be no different. We will face a rival that is only three points behind the leader in its league, has been undefeated for six consecutive games,” Vicens added.
The Genk squad previously drew with Betis and secured a victory against Rangers in Glasgow. Vicens noted the Belgian team’s preference for dominating matches. “We’ll have to do many things well if we want to come away with a victory,” he said.
The demanding schedule may lead to squad adjustments. Vicens highlighted the need to assess players after their significant effort against Porto.
“We have had many games; that’s the schedule we have,” Vicens explained. “To be ambitious and ensure a team with personality, highly competitive and aggressive, we must be in the best possible form, and for that, we must count on everyone.”
He emphasized that players understand everyone’s role. “In recent weeks there have been changes, and the team remained recognizable, which means they believe in the process.”
Vicens declined to comment on a recent controversy involving alleged pressure from FC Porto on a referee, Fábio VerÃssimo, stating the club had already issued a statement. “There’s nothing to comment on,” he said.
Reflecting on the Porto game, Vicens expressed pride despite the loss. “The team played like Braga, as it has in other games. One of the things I told them, even with the frustration, was that the team showed great personality against a great rival.”
He acknowledged the disappointment of zero points but emphasized an “upward performance curve.” Vicens added, “Now we are going to polish things we need to improve because we are not a finished product; we aspire to make this team do things better.”
The coach indicated he does not closely monitor league standings during the early stages of the competition. “The immediate objective is the game against Genk, a difficult rival, who wants to take the ball from us,” Vicens concluded.
“It’s the first opportunity to forget that frustration from the last game, which can only happen by being a very competitive team.”