Braga Hub
Braga will try to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League when they host Union Berlin, who come to Portugal motivated by their first ever point in the competition.
What's at stake?
Braga is in third place in Group C, with three points, four behind second-placed Napoli. Union – who also faced Braga in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League last season – has also suffered three defeats, but managed to secure their first point in the previous round, with a memorable 1-1 draw against Italian champions Napoli.
Previous encounters
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Braga Goals | Union Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
Two goals from Sheraldo Becker (30, 37) seemed to have put Union on the path to their first Champions League win at home in the competition, in the second round. But Sikou Niakaté (41) reduced the deficit for Braga before halftime, Bruma equalized 2-2 six minutes after the restart, and André Castro (90+4) secured the three points for the Portuguese team in an exciting finish.
Form guide
Braga did not win in their first six games (2D 4L) against German clubs, before defeating Hoffenheim twice in the group stage of the Europa League in 2017/18 (2-1 away, 3-1 home), the most recent encounters before those of last season. The Portuguese team drew their first two home games against German visitors, lost the next two, both in the group stage of the UEFA Cup (0-1 against Bremen 2007/08, 2-3 against Wolfsburg 2008/09), and won the last two, against Hoffenheim and Union.
What's next?
Third-placed in the Portuguese league in 2022/23, nine points behind champions Benfica and seven behind Porto, Braga is in the Champions League for the third time and for the first time in 11 seasons. Those two previous campaigns ended in the group stage, with Braga finishing third in their section in 2010/11 and reaching the Europa League final, losing the decisive game 1-0 in an all-Portuguese final against Porto in Dublin.
