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A Newcomer of The Champions League will challenge to the European grand “Porto”
On 7 August the football fans and residents of Krasnodar will be able to see a live clash of strong clubs at the match of the Champions League. At the stadium “Krasnodar” the players of “Krasnodar” will meet in a battle the Portuguese club “Porto”. The box offices are at full SOLD OUT. This is a special football season which the footballers and the fans will always keep in memory especially thanks to the debut at the Champions League.
At this draw the Russian team has received the strongest of all possible opponents. These are going to be two interesting matches both for “Krasnodar” and “Porto”, who have already arrived in Russia. The two-timer winner of the Champions League Cup will take a football test from “Krasnodar”. It will be a strong testing for a young participant but it is worth it!
The first meeting of the footballers will take part on 7 August in Krasnodar, the return leg will take place on 13 August in Porto, at the stadium “Dragau” with 52 thousand spectators. The audience will get fantastic emotions. But at “Krasnodar” with 35 thousand spectators there will be no less quieter. “Residents” can support their club very loudly.
“Porto” considers “Krasnodar” as a fairly strong, dangerous and unpredictable rival, taking into consideration the tactics of attacking football. The manager of the club Fernando Gomes surely claimed that “Krasnodar” is not an easy opponent. He confessed that the clubs awaits not easy matches.
“It’s not a simple draw, we’ll face heavy matches. A long flight is not good for “Porto”. We hope to win because we want to play at a group stage of the Champions League.” – claimed Gomes
It’s hard to say which team list will put the coach of Krasnodar club Murad Musaev. For gifted pupils of Academy “Krasnodar” Shapi, Safonov, Ignatiev playing at first team it will be a big experience as before it was only a dream. And not only for pupils of the club, for the fans – this participation is also a big dream of the club president Sergey Galitsky. In a word, “Krasnodar” has been waiting for the Champions League for a long time!
5 years ago when “Krasnodar” made a debut at the Europe League, it was a great achievement, but everybody understood that there will be the next step!
The first participation in European cups became memorable due to beautiful and incredibly emotional victory of “Krasnodar” over Spanish “Sociedad” with devastating score 3:0, coming to the group and persistent matches. Only German Wolfsburg managed to cool down the heat of “the bulls”. Further more! There was a bright victory at a home match over Dortmund Borussia, the first coming to play off and of course a big disappointment after the defeat from Prague “Sparta”. A season after “Krasnodar” came through 1/16 final. In a season 2017/2018 “Krasnodar” because of “Crvena Zvezda” couldn’t even come to the group stage of the Europe League. It was frustrating. But there was not only frustration but there were positive emotions, there was an incredible pride for the pupil of academy Magomed – Shapi Sulieymanov, who in a right sense made a history in Leverkuzen and after scored a goal in a return leg versus Valencia. These moments are impossible to forget.
And today in a new season five years after there are new impressions, new experience.
What chances has got “Krasnodar”?
Football is an unpredictable sport. One can lose where one thought of the victory and to win when there was no hope for that. Everything depends on footballers’training, spirit of players, referee squad and a little luck of course.” Krasnodar” has got big chances for the victory, but one shouldn’t stay relaxed as “Porto” is strong! In a season of Russian Premier League “Krasnodar” is speeding up, that is why everything is possible. Especially it can happen at a home stadium where “Krasnodar” can easily dominate the opponent with attack. But everything will be settled in a return leg. It will be hard but there is nothing impossible.
We wish you all a beautiful football!
photo by FC "Krasnodar"
