Vukčević aims to seal Sporting's fate
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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Simon Vukčević says Sporting Clube de Portugal are "not even considering the possibility" of losing as they meet FC Twente, the midfield player sure their "natural place is in the group stage".
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Simon Vukčević insists Sporting Clube de Portugal are "not even considering the possibility" of an early UEFA Champions League exit as they prepare to face FC Twente, with the Montenegrin adamant that, "Our natural place is in the group stage."
Calm summer
Second in Portugal last season, Sporting must negotiate their way past Dutch league runners-up Twente and then battle through the play-offs to earn a fourth successive UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign. Having had a relatively calm summer with Villarreal CF's Chilean forward Matías Fernández and Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo, on loan from Manchester City FC, the only new arrivals, the Lions have suffered two friendly defeats in recent days. The most recent reverse was a 2-1 loss against Twente's Eredivisie rivals Feyenoord, a game in which Vukčević picked up an injury to his right foot.
Familiar names
However, the midfielder should be fit for this evening's first leg, saying: "If we want to reach the group stage, we must win. Twente have an excellent coach [Steve McClaren] and I know five or six of their players. The fact that they finished above clubs like Ajax and PSV Eindhoven in their league says a lot about how good they are. I know that striker Eljero Elia has left for Hamburg; that will make our lives easier but they have other quality players."
Tougher task
The new UEFA Champions League format has made matters more complicated for Sporting – last season, a second-placed Liga finish would have earned them a group-stage berth; this time, they must overcome two sides to reach the promised land. "Things are tougher for us, but what can we do?" said Vukčević. "We can only focus on winning. Maybe in the future we can qualify directly to the group stage again if all the other Portuguese clubs do well. That would be very good for Portuguese football."
No quarter
In the meantime, Sporting are on their own, and will be without Marat Izmailov and Leandro Grimi at the Estádio José Alvalade, with both suffering from knee injuries. Paulo Bento's side are nonetheless determined to forge onwards, with Vukčević insisting: "We are not even considering the possibility of missing out on the UEFA Champions League. Our natural place is in the group stage."
