BRUSSELS :Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise will need to be at their best and focused from the start if they are to stand any chance against Newcastle United in the Champions League on Wednesday, their coach Sebastien Pocognoli warned.
Pocognoli sought to temper expectations after the Brussels-based club won their opening group phase match away at PSV Eindhoven on September 16.
He would not put a percentage figure on Union’s chances against Newcastle at his pre-match press conference. “But we’ll set the percentage as high as possible,” he told reporters.
“We’ll have to be at our best level to be competitive,” Pocognoli added. “We have to be more than 100 per cent and be there from the very first second.”
Asked whether Union could pull off another upset, he said: “We’ll take it match by match, but Newcastle is a new challenge to see where we stand in the European league.”
Pocognoli expected a physical battle. “I don’t think there are any secrets about their qualities. They’re a team with a lot of strength and a lot of quality on the ball.”
Union are making their debut in the group phase, having won the Belgian title for the first time in 90 years last season.
They beat PSV 3-1 in their Lowlands derby and are a healthy six points clear in the Belgian league after nine rounds of the new season.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
