Sporting Braga v Tottenham Hotspur, Match Preview


Braga Away
By The Perfect St.Ranger
March 7 2007

Got your breath back yet? There's hardly time to saviour the remarkable events at Upton Park before our attention once more turns to the UEFA Cup. The first six weeks of 2007 are fading from the memory ....

Sporting Braga v Tottenham Hotspur - match preview

Got your breath back yet? There's hardly time to saviour the remarkable events at Upton Park before our attention once more turns to the UEFA Cup.

The first six weeks of 2007 are fading from the memory and the sequence of Premiership games against Liverpool, Pompey, Newcastle, Fulham, Man Utd and Sheffield Utd, not to mention the League Cup semi-final, seem a long time ago.

So the European campaign returns from its winter hiatus at just the right time for Spurs who have finally got some momentum going with 4 wins on the bounce and 14 goals scored in the process.

What with all the euphoria of the club once more challenging for the 'success' of finishing in the top 6 of the Premiership, the ultimate aim must always be to win trophies and, with that aim in mind, the European campaign represents Tottenham's best bet for winning some much longed for silverware.

While in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Spurs have to face the daunting task of Chelsea away and, if they get past that, in all likelihood, the quite considerable obstacle of Man Utd at some stage. While there remains the threat from some very good sides such as Benfica, Leverkeusen, Lens, Bremen, Newcastle and, not least, the holders and La Liga pace-setters Sevilla, the UEFA Cup therefore is still the competition that represents Spurs best chance of lifting a trophy this season and we should be approaching it as just that.

I would hope that Spurs put out their strongest possible side for the 1st leg away match.

A decent victory would keep up the momentum of the last fortnight going into the FA Cup tie against Chelsea on Sunday and allow Jol the luxury of maybe resting a few players if necessary for the return home leg against Braga on the following Wednesday. Fixture congestion and player burn-out is not an issue as, after the next game on March 17 th against Watford, Spurs have a two week break from competition.

Much of the Tottenham team pick themselves. The back line should be Robinson in goal with YP Lee at left back (with Ekotto injured) and Dawson at centre back. The only two choices there that Jol has to make are to stay with Chimbonda at right back or opt for the European experience on Stalteri after his heroics at Upton Park and to choose between pairing Dawson with Gardner or go for the Portuguese insider with European experience, Rocha.

I'd keep things settled and retain both Chimbonda and Gardner in the starting line-up (the more playing time the first choice pairing of Dawson and Gardner get, the better).

Up front, on the grounds that I would want Spurs to go all out to win the first leg, the Berbmeister has to start. With Keane available again, Jol has his usual choice to make with regard to the second striker. I'd keep Defoe for this game. It's a good chance for him to bag a few goals and it will keep Keane, well, just that - keen and ready to be unleashed again against Chelsea on Sunday.

Lennon walks into the midfield and Tainio has done more than enough to warrant retaining his place. In the absence of Jenas (injured?), if fit, which he hopefully is, Zokora must be in the starting line-up. Huddlestone may well continue his apprenticeship by getting a starting place with Malbranque hopefully available if necessary.

So, to the Portugeezers...

Just to dip a toe into the history books, Spurs have played Portuguese opposition 3 times in European competition, with mixed emotions.

The first tie was the 1962 European Cup semi-final against the holders Benfica. The first leg, in Portugal, was not Tottenham's finest match with the team going down 3-1. Greaves had a goal disallowed for offside in the first half and the powers-that-be were determined that the English club would not prevail by ruling a second goal, by Bobby Smith in the last minute, offside despite two Benfica players standing on the goal-line.

The second leg was a glorious match with Spurs winning 2-1. And once again, Greaves had a goal disallowed for a dubious offside.

Benfica then retained the European Cup by thrashing 5 times winners Real Madrid 5-3 in the final. Had natural events been allowed to take there course in that semi then.........…who knows?........…maybe…........…oh well…...……..time to move on…

Eleven years. To 1973 and the UEFA Cup 4th round tie against Vitoria Setubal.

Spurs, the UEFA Cup holders, won 1-0 at WHL (Ray Evans scoring) but lost the second leg 2-1 with Chivers getting the all important away goal and a place in the next round.

Eleven years later once more and Spurs, again the UEFA Cup holders, faced Portuguese opposition in the 1st round in the shape of our opponents on March 8th, Sporting Braga.

Tottenham finally secured an away win on Portuguese soil by scoring 3 goals without reply (Falco with a brace and Galvin). The home leg saw Spurs score six goals unanswered (Stevens, Hughton, Falco and a hat trick from Crooks) for a 9-0 aggregate win.

The present day Sporting Braga must surely represent a stronger challenge that the last time the clubs locked horns but, although 4th in the Portuguese league and knocking out a weak Parma side in the last round of the UEFA Cup (0-0 at home and winning 1-0 in Italy), in the round robin tournament the club noticeably lost 2-0 away to Sevilla and 3-0 away to AZ Alkmaar. This would suggest that, although no pushovers, Spurs should have the wherewithal to deal with the threat from the Braga players.

This game has come at an excellent time for a resurgent Tottenham team. For the club to be able to then concentrate on the next game on Sunday without too much distraction, this is an ideal opportunity to be positive, keep the recent momentum going and to virtually book a place in the UEFA quarter finals.

Jol should be looking to put out a full strength side and go for a thumping win.

As Sir Bill said:

"It's magnificent to be in Europe, and this club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe.... we're nothing. We're nothing."

Well, we're in Europe. Let's make the most of it.

And as Sir Bill said again: "It's no use just winning, we've got to win well."