Braga game brings back good memories for Mikel Antía

The Magpies' first team coach - one of Rafa Benítez's most trusted lieutenants - played for the Portuguese club during a transitional period for Os Arcebispos, who have become a fixture in European competitions in recent seasons.

Back in the 2002/03 season, however, they were still playing at the old Estádio 1º de Maio ground and regarded as a midtable Primeira Liga outfit when Antía, a tall central defender who had played for Real Madrid's Castilla, Valladolid and Real Sociedad, was brought in to add some nous to a talented but inexperienced squad.

And, although they finished 14th in his one and only season with the club, many of the players who Antía played with formed the backbone of the side which recorded three consecutive fourth-place finishes between 2004 and 2007.

They've rarely been outside the top five since, while Antía - who retired in 2006 - became a renowned coach and joined United from Aspire Academy in Qatar in 2006. 

Looking back fondly on his time with Braga, Antía told nufc.co.uk: "It was at the end of my career; they offered me a one-year contract and I wanted to have another experience in another league, so I took the option and it was really great.

"Now, it's a big club here in Portugal with - as we have seen this week - a great training ground with different pitches and more big plans for the future. But at the time I was here, while it was one of the big clubs of Portugal, they hadn't got too much money so they didn't have this training ground.

"We were training around in different places - you can not compare it. Right now, it is much better than before.

"During my time, we were in the middle of the table and it was a club that was struggling a little bit with money so they couldn't afford players with great salaries. Almost all of them were young players, and they are working very hard in the academy. They produce good players, they sell them, so they've got a little bit more money - although still they can not compete with the salaries of Porto and Benfica, so it's difficult for them to win a title."

Nonetheless, Braga finished fourth last term and will compete in this season's Europa League. Newcastle have trained at their impressive training complex this week, and Wednesday's game will be played at the unique, spectacular Estádio Municipal de Braga, built into the Monte de Castro quarry face in 2003 ahead of the following year's European Championship finals.

"The year I was here, they finished the new stadium," explained Antía. "They took us (the players) on a trip to see the stadium; still they were building it but it was almost finished, so we could see how it was.

"They explained everything to us, how it was built between two hills, and it was really interesting how they worked to take off a lot of mountainous land.

"One of the architects was one of the most famous architects in Portugal and it was something that was really special.

"I spent a very good year here so it brings back many good memories, and it's good to see how things have changed. I almost can not recognise some of the roads and streets - there have been so many changes."

United drew 0-0 with Porto on Saturday and Antía knows that Wednesday's game will be another hard-fought pre-season fixture.

He said: "It will be a really hard test for us, which for us is very good. It will give us a chance to keep improving, keep getting fit and keep working on the things we want to do, defensively and offensively.

"These are the games that really improve the team. If the score is good, that's even better but for us the most important thing is to keep working and to keep applying the things that we are doing in the training sessions to these games."