Hearts star Claudio Braga believes his side can still cause an upset against Benfica in the Europa League.
The Scottish Premiership Player of the Year has been speaking to Portuguese newspaper A Bola ahead of Thursday’s first leg in Lisbon.
In the same interview, Braga also acknowledged a summer exit from Hearts remains a possibility, if the right opportunity arrives for both himself and the club.
This is where Hearts begin their bid to reach the Europa League proper after dropping out of the Champions League qualifiers against Sturm Graz.
While Braga admits facing one of Portugal’s biggest clubs will be special, he insists Hearts are travelling to the Estádio da Luz with purpose. They believe they can progress over two legs.
Braga backing Hearts to compete
For Braga, the occasion comes with mixed emotions.
“It will be good to play in my country, against a big club and in a European competition, but it’s a consequence of us being eliminated from the Champions League. So I’m not going to say I’m very happy.”
The 26-year-old believes Hearts and Benfica have one thing in common heading into the tie. Both clubs are adjusting to life under new managers.
“We’re also living through a new phase, with a new coach and new players, with a bit of a rebuild. We’re still finding our rhythm and I believe Benfica are in a similar situation because the season has only just started.”
Even so, Braga knows the scale of the challenge awaiting Hearts.
Braga revealed some of his Hearts teammates had already asked him about Benfica ahead of the tie. He suggested little explanation was needed given the Portuguese club’s reputation across Europe.
“Everyone who plays football knows what Benfica are. They’re a very big club, known by everyone and highly respected abroad. They’re used to playing in the Champions League.”
Respect, however, does not mean surrender.
“We look at them with a lot of respect, but at the same time it’s over two legs. Our objective is to go to the Estádio da Luz, get the best possible result and then do the same at home so we can go through.”
Hearts know what must improve
Braga also explained where Hearts must improve after their heavy aggregate defeat to Sturm Graz in the previous round.
“We can’t make mistakes against teams at this level because if you give them opportunities, they score and then everything becomes much more difficult.
“Against Sturm Graz we had more possession in both matches despite losing, but the truth is they were much more efficient and made fewer mistakes. When we get our opportunities, we have to take them.”
Those lessons, he hopes, can now be applied against Benfica.
Family preparing Hearts ‘invasion’
The trip to Lisbon will also be a personal milestone for Braga, who will play a competitive European match in Portugal for the first time.
The striker revealed family and friends are planning what he jokingly described as an “invasion” of the Portuguese capital to support Hearts.
“It really will be an invasion, I’m not going to lie. Compared to 60,000 Benfica supporters it won’t look like much, but a lot of people are coming.
“Some of them are Benfica supporters, but they’ll clearly be supporting Hearts. Anyone who isn’t supporting me won’t be getting a ticket from me, that’s for sure!”, he laughed.
Braga’s rise over the past year has been remarkable. After arriving at Hearts from Norway, he scored 17 goals in 44 appearances. He helped the Edinburgh club push Celtic all the way in last season’s title race. In the end, he was voted the Scottish Premiership’s Player of the Year.
Now he has another opportunity to enhance that reputation. Hearts hope their leading man can inspire them against one of Europe’s regular competitors.
