Claudio Braga tells Hearts nothing is impossible ahead of Benfica clash
· Craig Swan · 2026-08-05 · nguồn gốc
Claudio Braga tells Hearts nothing is impossible as bashing Benfica would take fantasy one step further
The Portuguese is thrilled to be home and is dreaming of scoring in Estadio da Luz as he refuses to declare anything impossible
Claudio Braga reckons it would be amazing to cap a dream homecoming with a goal to bash Benfica, writes Craig Swan in Lisbon.
The hitman is thrilled to be back in Portugal starring against a giant of his country at the iconic Estadio da Luz.
Braga is already living out a fantasy, but wants to go a step further by hitting the net and helping Hearts silence a vociferous home support.
He said: “To score would be amazing, of course. I'm a striker, so scoring in any game would be amazing.
"Against a Portuguese team in the Europa League would definitely have a different flavour.
“As a young lad growing up in Portugal, we all know how big a club Benfica is, not only in Portugal but also abroad.
“Just the fact that I'm playing against them on this stage, in European competition, is something special.
“It was one of my dreams to play in the Champions League, the Europa League and competitions like this.
“There's nothing like the feeling of being home, so that's really good, especially in the circumstances we're in, playing Europa League football against a big club. It's amazing.
“At the time when I left [Portugal], I was in the fourth division, where there is a lot of quality, but I was leaving for a different opportunity and taking a risk.
“To get here after so much effort, so many things and so many moves throughout the whole process is a very special feeling.
“I feel it's something that I can still achieve much more from, but it's a feeling that has stayed with me for a long time because it has allowed me to reach a stage that I dreamed about many times.
“It's difficult to think that I've already achieved so much. Sometimes it's really hard to believe that I've reached this part of my life."
Braga has never previously been to Benfica's home stadium, but expects plenty and said: "They're a big club with very good supporters, so I'm sure it'll be crazy. Hopefully we can silence them at times and that'll be good for Hearts. "
Naturally, Benfica are huge favourites, but Braga believes as he continued: "Listen, I understand why most people, or everybody, thinks like that.
"But personally I've learned that in football nothing is impossible. Nobody comes here to lose and we're not a club that wants to do that.
"The mentality within the group is very strong. We need to make fewer mistakes because that's been the biggest difference in our previous games.
"Of course we know Benfica are a big team and stronger on paper, but nothing is impossible in football and we're going to try to hurt them.
"We know that Benfica are favourites. That's obvious to anyone who understands football. It's going to be a very difficult game. Benfica have a different level of experience in European competitions and in matches of this category. They have high-calibre players.
"But the truth is that we came here to work for Hearts and to try to keep the tie alive for Tynecastle. I think that's what you can expect."