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Football

21 July 2025, 14h06

Mário Branco

Mário Branco

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Football First Team Draw Mario Branco Champions League BTV
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STATEMENTS

Mário Branco, Benfica's general manager for professional football, reacted to the result of the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, which took place on Monday, July 21, at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, and which dictated that the Eagles will face Nice, from France.

"Among the potential opponents that were available in the draw, this will, in theory, be the most challenging in sporting terms," said Mário Branco, speaking to BTV.

In analyzing the Eagles' opponent at this stage of the Champions League, the general manager recalled that this is "a team that finished fourth in the French league last year."

"They have an interesting squad, a very complete mix of young players and more experienced players. A team that also comes from the Top 5, one of the most important leagues in Europe, but obviously we will face them with as much optimism as possible," he noted, before concluding: "We want to be in the league phase of the Champions League. Benfica is a Champions League team, and that's how we're going to approach our opponent."

Text: Editorial Staff
Photos: SL Benfica
Last update: Monday, July 21, 2025

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