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INTERTOTO CUP: NAC take scenic route to UEFA Cup

/noticias.info/ Following a grim run in the Dutch end-of-season play-offs, NAC Breda are eager to grab their last chance of UEFA Cup football through the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Tough draw
NAC had reason for optimism at the end of last season after achieving their best-ever finish in the Eredivisie, third behind PSV Eindhoven and AFC Ajax. However, the play-offs were to be cruel for Ernie Brandts's side as they first lost out to FC Twente in a two-legged tie for a UEFA Champions League place before being denied the consolation of a UEFA Cup ticket with defeats by SC Heerenveen and NEC Nijmegen. They now enter the final edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in the third and final round but new coach Robert Maaskant knows that reaching the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup as one of the competition's eleven victors will not be easy after being drawn against Norway's Rosenborg BK.

Big test
"As a sportsman you always want to win, but the Rosenborg tie comes at an unfortunate time for us," said the 39-year-old, who left MVV Maastricht to replace Brandts this summer. "We are only in the third week of pre-season training. Rosenborg, who are still a strong team with a lot of Champions League experience, are coming too soon. We will try to get the group fit for the match, but we cannot do much more."

Rusty players
Regulars Kurt Elshot, Edwin de Graaf and Tim Gillisen are all unavailable after undergoing surgery, while striker Ellery Cairo – a new signing from Coventry City FC – is still ring rusty after playing just seven league games last season. "We had the choice of training him at full tilt and risking an injury or to bring him on slowly to have him fully fit in six weeks," said Maaskant. "We chose the latter option, as a fit Cairo can be of huge value for NAC."

War cry
They may be short-staffed, yet Maaskant is not abandoning hope as the contest kicks off at the Rat Verlegh Stadion on Saturday. "Normally we are a stronger team, but NAC finished third last season and could still pull off a surprise," he said. "It is not ideal to play these matches in the middle of pre-season, but since we are in this situation, we will do our best to take our chances." notas_de_prensa_archivo