Simao Sabrosa’s reaction after Club Brugge was to choose the club as a contender for the last 16 of the Champions League.
“We know Club Brugge very well, they were champions of Belgium last year, we all saw the campaign they did in this group stage,” he began by referring to BTV, where the Belgians were in the FC Porto group and were surprised by their victories over Bayer. Leverkusen (1-0), Porto (4-0) and Atlético Madrid (2-0), later added draws with the Spaniards and Germans and a defeat against the Dragon (0-4).
The matches will take place in February and March, so there is still some time, with the World Cup and many matches in between: “It will be a challenge for Benfica and all the teams at this stage. It’s going to be something new, but the Hulk is definitely handling this in a professional way, so we can get into February and be on top of it. The first match is away from home and we want to be in good shape, so we can play in our stadium, where we are very strong, and with the support of our fans we can beat this opponent.”
An acquaintance of Benfica, Ukrainian-Roman Yarmechuk, who sold to Belgium in the summer, lives in Bruges. “It’s always good to see the players who have played for Benfica, but we and Romain want to move on.”
Agatha Christie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, books, and current affairs. She is committed to producing accurate, informative content that helps readers stay informed about the latest developments in the UK and beyond.
