Peseiro wants home help as CFR visit Braga

SC Braga coach José Peseiro is hoping his charges can "take advantage of playing at home" when they meet a CFR 1907 Cluj team with inside knowledge of their UEFA Champions League Group H opponents.

With the Arsenalistas away to Galatasaray AŞ and Manchester United FC in their next two European fixtures, Peseiro knows the importance of getting off to a good start. CFR, who have three former Braga men and six Portuguese players in their ranks, will not be wanting for information, however.

Braga
Coach José Peseiro
CFR have made it to the Champions League three times in the last five years and eliminated top teams like Basel and Benfica. It's good for football in our country to have this many Portuguese players in the Champions League. We want to win this match, but we'll have to be at our best to do it.

Lima went to Benfica, so we had to find a way to replace him in attack and score goals using different avenues. CFR are very good on the break and also very good defensively. We know the quality of our opponents and we have to take advantage of playing at home. It's the first match, it's very important, we're confident, but we know we're coming up against a good team.

Weekend result
No domestic fixture
• Braga have not played a Portuguese Liga match since 2 September, when they lost 2-0 at FC Paços de Ferreira. They have taken four points from their first three outings.

Team news
Striker Carlão (left thigh) is Braga's only absentee.

CFR Cluj
Coach Ioan Andone
Tomorrow we'll have a very hard game against a very strong team. Braga are technically very good and they have a team full of quality, but we want to win. Of course, it's an advantage to have some Portuguese players, and now they're back in Portugal to show what they've learned in the Romanian championship. José Peseiro is a very good coach. He beat me last time we met, but that's over and this is a new match. It's important to start with a win, but if that doesn't happen it's not the end of the world.

Weekend result
Friday: FC Dinamo Bucureşti 0-1 CFR Cluj (Rui Pedro 64)
Felgueiras; Ivo Pinto, Cadu, Piccolo, Camora; Bastos (76 Luis Alberto), Mureșan, Godemeche, Diogo Valente (51 Rui Pedro); Sougou, Kapetanos (80 Bjelanovic).

• This was CFR's third successive league victory against Dinamo.

• CFR are one of five teams who have scored at least once in every Romanian First Division match so far this season (eight games in their case).

• Rui Pedro notched his first CFR goal since joining in November 2011.

• New signing Luís Alberto made his debut.

Team news
Diogo Valente sustained an adductor muscle injury against Dinamo and, though he trained on Sunday and will travel to Portugal, remains doubtful. Vasile Maftei serves the final game of his suspension.

Match fact
The CFR squad includes six Portuguese players and three Braga old boys: Valente, Rafael Bastos and Mário Felgueiras.