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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Pirie

Everything Rangers need to know about Braga as familiar foes dread another Europa League hard luck story

Rangers fans will have high hopes that they can go even further in the Europa League after drawing Braga.

Having seen off Red Star Belgrade, Gio van Bronckhorst 's men dodged European heavyweights when the Portuguese side were pulled out of the hat.

With Barcelona, RB Leipzig and West Ham in the hat, a clash with Braga will delight some as they eye a semi-final push.

Rangers have impressed against their opponents, who they play on April 7 and 14, in recent seasons and will hope for more European glory.

But while on paper it may look like a favourable draw, what will Braga bring to the table in the quarter-final?

Braga's players celebrate with their supporters at the end of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg in Monaco (AFP via Getty Images)

Record Sport puts the side in focus ahead of the showdown.

Who are Braga?

Sporting Clube de Braga have been regulars in European football since their formation in 1945, bringing a host of big names to the 30,200-seater Municipal Stadium of Braga.

Despite living the shadows of Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Benfica they've rubbed shoulders with Europe's elite several times.

In fact, they came close to winning the Europa League back in 2011 in a narrow 1-0 defeat to old foe Porto.

They've been in decent form since with third and fourth-placed finishes in the Portuguese league in the last two campaigns. They sit in fourth spot in the Primeira Liga.

The legend goes that after World War Two, Braga changed their kit from green to red and white because their president had business interests in London and regularly went to watch Arsenal.

How did they reach this stage?

The Europa League experience shone through as Braga saw off Monaco to reach the quarter final stage.

After a 2-0 win in the first leg, a battling 1-1 draw at the Stade Louis II stadium booked their spot in the last eight.

Sporting Braga's Spanish forward Abel Ruiz (C) celebrates after scoring against Monaco (AFP via Getty Images)

They narrowly escaped the group stage pipping Midtjylland to second spot on the last day of the group stage calendar with a win over Ludogorets.

They failed to beat group winners Red Star Belgrade - which will surely act as a huge confidence boost to Gio van Bronckhorst following Rangers' last 16 aggregate victory.

In the knockout round playoff it took extra-time for Braga to see off Moldovan surprise package Sheriff Tiraspol.

Who is their manager?

Carlos Carvalhal is the man in the Braga dugout - and is a name that may be familiar to some supporters.

The managerial veteran has spent most of his 20-year career in Portugal, but his nomadic career has also taken him to Turkey, Greece and England.

(AFP via Getty Images)

His spells at Sheffield Wednesday earned him a move to English Premier League side Swansea, before he would lead the club out of the top flight and into the Championship later that season.

Since then, he's reinvented himself as Rio Ave manager steering the side to their highest ever Primeira Liga points tally and into Europe with a fifth placed finish.

That saw him return to Braga, where he spent three spells as a player.

Who is their star man?

Captain Ricardo Horta has been the standout player for Braga so far this season.

The winger has enjoyed an impressive campaign - netting 19 goals for a side who have struggling to find the net so far this season.

The 27-year-old's scintillating form this season has seen him linked with moves to the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool this summer.

He'll be the man to watch for the Rangers defence across the two legs.

Most of Braga's success this season has been built on outstanding defensive displays - with goalkeeper Matheus Magalhaes at the core of that.

While Allan McGregor has been the hero for Rangers on several occasions - Braga cult hero Magalhaes is arguably just as important to his fans with just nine goals conceded in Europe so far this season.

The 29-year-old will need to be in fine form again to keep out the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent.

What is their European pedigree?

Braga have become a regular feature of European football since they first reached the UEFA Cup in 2005.

They have only failed to make the group stage of the Europa League once in the last five seasons.

Rangers celebrate seeing off Braga in the 2020 Europa League last 32 (Getty Images)

The Portuguese side made their first Champions League group stage appearance in 2011, and would go on to the Europa League final that same season in a losing effort to their compatriots.

They also have one piece of European silverware to their name - having lifted the Intertoto Cup in it's final season of existence back in 2008.

For Rangers fans they are a familiar foe.

They recovered from being two goals down at Ibrox in the first leg to win 3-2 when they met in the 2020 Europa League last 32 and followed it up with a 1-0 success in Portugal to go through.

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