Igor De Camargo says R. Standard de Liège have a mountain to climb when they take on Olympiacos FC in Group H of the UEFA Champions League, but the Brazilian-born striker believes that his side's motivation is just as big.
Staying upbeat
De Camargo and his team-mates are having a tough time at the moment, occupying last place in the section with one point from three games, coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw with R. Excelsior Mouscron at the weekend and having a number of injury worries to boot. However, the 26-year-old forward, who has taken Belgian nationality, is not bowed by the prospect of facing a visiting side who are second in the group and just a point behind leaders Arsenal FC.
Matching motivation
"Olympiacos will start the match with an advantage because they already have six points," De Camargo said. "But we'll just have to try and climb what is a high mountain and take the points if we want to have a chance of reaching the next stage. There is no doubt about our motivation. This is a Champions League game and for these kinds of matches the motivation is always huge." Standard will go into the game a point behind AZ Alkmaar, who face the Gunners in north London, and can take at least a degree of confidence from their performance in Greece two weeks ago.
Lessons learned
De Camargo gave his side a first-half lead and, although Olympiacos levelled soon afterwards through Kostas Mitroglou, the Belgian champions looked good for a draw until Ieroklis Stoltidis struck a winner in the third minute of added time. "We know that we can play very well, we've already proved that in Greece. This time we have to play to win, believe we can do it and go for victory," De Camargo said. Along with the belief, he knows his side will also have to keep their concentration for the full duration. "We'll have to put an end to these little mistakes we've been making," he added. "We have been taught so many lessons already this season; tomorrow I hope we can prove that we have learned something."
Staying upbeat
De Camargo and his team-mates are having a tough time at the moment, occupying last place in the section with one point from three games, coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw with R. Excelsior Mouscron at the weekend and having a number of injury worries to boot. However, the 26-year-old forward, who has taken Belgian nationality, is not bowed by the prospect of facing a visiting side who are second in the group and just a point behind leaders Arsenal FC.
Matching motivation
"Olympiacos will start the match with an advantage because they already have six points," De Camargo said. "But we'll just have to try and climb what is a high mountain and take the points if we want to have a chance of reaching the next stage. There is no doubt about our motivation. This is a Champions League game and for these kinds of matches the motivation is always huge." Standard will go into the game a point behind AZ Alkmaar, who face the Gunners in north London, and can take at least a degree of confidence from their performance in Greece two weeks ago.
Lessons learned
De Camargo gave his side a first-half lead and, although Olympiacos levelled soon afterwards through Kostas Mitroglou, the Belgian champions looked good for a draw until Ieroklis Stoltidis struck a winner in the third minute of added time. "We know that we can play very well, we've already proved that in Greece. This time we have to play to win, believe we can do it and go for victory," De Camargo said. Along with the belief, he knows his side will also have to keep their concentration for the full duration. "We'll have to put an end to these little mistakes we've been making," he added. "We have been taught so many lessons already this season; tomorrow I hope we can prove that we have learned something."
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