Olivier Echouafni: 'Put our game in place'

Coach, here we are in Braga at a stadium that hosted games at EURO 2004. What are your first impressions?
"It's a very special stadium with just two stands and a cliff at either end. You don't usually see stadiums like this. Braga are one of the big clubs in Portugal along with Benfica, Sporting and Porto. We're very happy to be playing on a pitch of this quality."

What do you expect from this Braga team? They're Portuguese champions, but aren't well known outside the country.
"It's a Champions League game, you have to approach it with a lot of focus. We have to be careful with Braga, who last year won 20 of their 22 league games and drew the other two. They're not here by chance, they're very technical and have a clear gameplan. We have to be able to put our game in place and, above all, score here."

Is the squad looking forward to getting the European campaign underway?
"The players are focussed, perhaps a little more than usual. They like playing these games, and when you're a competitor, you understand that. To be on the pitch and experience the Champions League are big moments in the season. We have to start the competition well, it's the first round, but already it's quite a tough game. It's up to us to do what is necessary to give us the means to go through and perhaps make the second leg a little easier."