Getting to Know You: SC Braga | OneFootball

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Olympiacos continue their Europa League campaign this week, with SC Braga the visitors to Piraeus. In this latest edition of “Getting to Know You,” we take a closer look at the Portuguese side that will be the first European opposition at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium since May’s historic Conference League win.

Background

Sporting Clube de Braga, known simply as Braga, is a Portuguese football club based in the north of Portugal, in the city of Braga. It is just 45 minutes away from Olympiacos’ other Portuguese Europa League opponents, Porto.

Braga plays its home games at Estádio Municipal de Braga, often referred to as "The Quarry" due to its unique design, carved into the Monte Castro quarry. The stadium was opened in 2003 and has a seating capacity of over 30,000, making it one of the most iconic venues in Portuguese football. Its unique design and appearance gained infamy when it was used as a host stadium during Euro 2004.

The club's colors are red and white, earning them one of their nicknames: Os Arsenalistas, after the Premier League team, Arsenal. Legend has it that they changed from an all-red shirt to red and white in the 1940s because their then-president was an Arsenal fan.

The 21st century has seen Braga establish themselves as Portugal’s “fourth team,” behind Benfica, Sporting Lisbon & Porto, with 17 top-four finishes since the 2000-01 season.

Honours and European Experience

SC Braga won its first major title in 1966, lifting the Taça de Portugal, a feat they have replicated two more times, winning the cup in 2016 and, most recently, in 2021. They have also won the Taça da Liga on three occasions: in 2013, 2020, and 2024.

Braga has yet to be crowned champions of Portugal, with their highest-ever finish in the Liga Portugal being second place in 2010. However, they have won the second division title twice, in 1946-47 and 1963-64.

While the club has historically been overshadowed by Portugal’s traditional "Big Three," Braga has emerged as a formidable competitor in recent decades. Braga’s most significant European achievement came in 2011, when they reached the UEFA Europa League final, finishing runners-up to fellow Portuguese side FC Porto. They also reached the Europa League quarter-finals in both 2016 and 2022.

In the Hot Seat

A familiar face will be standing in the away dugout on Thursday night, as Carlos Carvalhal returns to Olympiacos. Carvalhal took over at Braga this summer in his first appointment since being released by Marinakis in February.

This is the well-travelled manager's third stint in charge of Braga. He previously managed them for three months at the start of the 2006-07 season and for an extended period during the entirety of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

He hit the ground running in his current return to the club, successfully guiding them through European qualification. A return to Karaiskakis so soon after his dismissal is sure to have whetted his appetite for getting one over his former employer. With a point to prove and a score to settle, it will certainly add even more intrigue to the game once it kicks off.

Route in Europe & Season-to-Date

Following a fourth-place finish in 2023-24 in Liga Portugal and winning the Taça da Liga, Braga entered the Europa League in the second qualifying round. As a seeded team, they were drawn against Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva—opposition that proved no contest for the Portuguese, as they breezed past them 7-0 on aggregate.

Next up was third-placed Swiss side Servette. The first leg was 0-0, a result that contributed to Carvalhal’s predecessor, Daniel Sousa, losing his job. The second leg, away in Geneva, was Carvalhal’s first game back in charge, and he guided them to a 1-2 win to secure their place in the playoff round. Rapid Vienna was the opposition in the playoff round. A 2-1 win in Braga, followed by a 2-2 draw in Vienna, secured Europa League football for the coming season.

Matchday One saw Braga get off to a good start in the league phase of the Europa League. Facing Israeli opposition for the second time this season, they hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv. A 2-1 win sees them sit in joint 11th position in the table as they travel to Greece for matchday two.

With seven games played, Braga are currently 5th in the table in Portugal, recording four wins, two draws, and a single loss. Their season started with a draw against Amadora, but they went into the first international break undefeated with two wins and two draws. The first game after the break saw them lose at home to Vitória de Guimarães. This disappointing result was followed up with two wins, the most recent against Evangelos Marinakis’ Rio Ave, winning 4-0 at home this past Sunday, ensuring they are full of confidence as they look to pull off another result against one of Marinakis' clubs!

It’s not only the head coach that will be familiar to the Thrylos faithful during Thursday night’s game, as two ex-Olympiacos players are within their ranks. Portuguese pair Bruma and André Horta will both be stepping once again onto the pitch they once graced wearing the red & white stripes. There is always an element of apprehension when a former player returns to play against their old club.

Horta returns just four months after departing the club. The player is likely to receive a hero's welcome. The last time the Thrylos faithful saw him was on the steps outside Dimotiko Theatro, celebrating the extraordinary European title win! André Horta has been a regular for Braga since his return, already with two assists and leading his side in accurate passes.

Sporting CP youth product Bruma is in his third season at Braga, initially joining midway through the 2022-23 season on loan. Bruma spent the 2020-21 season at Olympiacos, scoring nine goals for the club in a season that saw him claim the Super League title. After traveling around Europe for most of his career, he seems to have found his place back in his native Portugal. Already with 19 goals to his name in his twenty months at the club, he is in blistering form at the start of the current season, with four goals and as many assists already, all the goals coming in his last three games!

French attacking midfielder Ismael Gharbi was a new arrival this summer from PSG. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at relegated Swiss side Stade Lausanne Ouchy. He found the net an impressive six times in 29 league games. The PSG academy graduate was a deadline signing, so he has only had a handful of matches with his new teammates, but scoring his first goal against Rio Ave shows he is already starting to make his mark. Gharbi is a bright prospect and a player Olympiacos will need to keep a close eye on if he starts.

It would be impossible to highlight key players for the visitors without mentioning club captain Ricardo Horta, the older brother of André. Ricardo Horta can be considered Mr. Braga, now in his ninth season at the club. With 126 goals, he is Braga’s all-time leading goal scorer. This season, he has already chalked up three goals and two assists, including one in Sunday’s game against Rio Ave, entering the match full of confidence and someone the Olympiacos defense will need to keep a close eye on.