"It shouldn't happen, but it can happen. The important thing is to be here and focused on tomorrow night's match." After a long and dangerous journey, Napoli is in Braga for the start of the Champions League group stage, a crucial fixture for coach Rudi Garcia as well.
"It's the first match of the group that we want to get through. We're coming here to win and with a lot of determination, ambition, and confidence," the coach of the Italian champions explained to Sky. "We know it's a Champions League match and that all the players on the pitch will be at their best for the entire match, but we're coming here with the desire to get our first three points in Europe."
After a shaky start to the season, Garcia is already facing some uncertainty: "It's only the start of the season. We've played four games, missing two halves, against Lazio and Genoa. We need to be more consistent."
Rrahmani is expected to be in defense against the Portuguese: "He missed the Genoa match because we shouldn't have taken any risks, he should be back tomorrow. Let's hope everyone is well so we can make our decisions."
The Champions League, after all, remains a jewel in the crown: "It's the queen of competitions: we have to show we're ready, aware that we can play a good match."
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"I spoke to De Laurentiis, no more and no less than other times. I'm calm and relaxed.
Is the owner too? Ask him."
So said Napoli coach Rudi Garcia on the eve of the Champions League debut against Braga.
"What's wrong with Napoli? We need to be more effective, we haven't scored in the last two games," added the Italian champions' manager in a press conference. "We need to be able to finish the games without conceding a goal.
Looking at the stats, we've had eight shots on target and conceded five goals. We don't defend that badly, but we need to improve on something," Garcia added.
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