Legia boss Magiera set for whirlwind debut

New Legia Warsaw head coach Jacek Magiera fears he might have spent more time with the media than his players ahead of his Champions League bow against Sporting CP.

Legia sacked Besnik Hasi when he followed up a 6-0 drubbing in the Group F opener against Borussia Dortmund with a 3-2 loss at home to Zaglebie Lubin.

Magiera, a former Legia midfielder and reserve-team coach, was in charge of second-tier club Zaglebie Sosnowiec until signing a two-year contract at the weekend.

He took his first training session on Sunday and told a news conference at Sporting’s Jose Alvalade Stadium: “Until now I have been present at more press conferences than training sessions.

“Of course this is a big challenge for me but I don’t want to dramatize it.

“Our objective is to increase confidence and to create a strong team; these are very good players.

“We are going to play in a tournament that is of the highest level and I want my players to fight from the beginning until the end.”

With both teams having lost their opening matches to the group’s heavyweights – Sporting in the heart-breaking fashion of a late 2-1 reverse against Real Madrid – there is little margin for error and experienced home boss Jorge Jesus expects a tightly contested match.

“Both teams are looking to stake a claim in this group and so a lot of hope and expectation is based on this match,” he said.

“I think the game will be an even one as there aren’t huge differences between teams in this tournament, unless you are talking about the likes of Real Madrid and their ilk.”