Braga vs Napoli match facts

Braga's first UEFA Champions League group game in 11 years is a glamourous fixture against Italian champions and 2022/23 quarter-finalists Napoli.

The Portuguese side have come through two qualifying rounds to reach this stage for the first time since 2012/13; Napoli, meanwhile, are in the group stage for the second season running having ended a two-year absence last season.

This is the sides' first meeting – indeed, neither Matchday 1 fixture in Group C, which also includes Real Madrid and debutants Union Berlin, has been played before.

Form guide

Braga

Record vs Italian clubs: W3 D2 L6 F10 A17
Home record vs Italian clubs: W2 D1 L2

Braga won their first two home games against Italian visitors, keeping a clean sheet in both, but have lost the last two, both without scoring.

Home (0-4) and away (2-3) defeats against Fiorentina in last season's UEFA Europa Conference knockout round play-offs made it four successive losses to Serie A clubs with 12 goals conceded in those matches and only three scored.

Braga are without a win against Italian sides since a 1-0 victory at Parma in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 32 second leg (2-0 aggregate); their record since is D2 L5, though the two draws came in the same tie, a 2012/13 Champions League play-off against Udinese that they won on penalties.

Third in the Portuguese Liga in 2022/23, nine points behind champions Benfica and seven adrift of Porto, Braga are in the Champions League for the third time and a first in 11 seasons.

Both those previous campaigns have extended into the group stage, Braga finishing third in their section in 2010/11 and going on to reach the UEFA Europa League final, losing an all-Portuguese final 1-0 to Porto in Dublin.

Braga were fourth in their 2012/13 section having lost five of their six games, winning only one – 2-0 away at Galatasaray on Matchday 2.

The Arsenalistas began 2022/23 in the Europa League group stage, finishing third in their section behind Union Saint-Gilloise and Union Berlin, moving into the Europa Conference League where they were well beaten by eventual runners-up Fiorentina in the knockout play-offs.

Braga entered this season's Champions League in the third qualifying round, where they were comfortable winners against Bačka Topola of Serbia (3-0 h, 4-1 a), Bruma, Pizzi and Álvaro Djaló all scoring in both legs.

Greek side Panathinaikos were then beaten home (2-1) and away (1-0) in the play-offs, Djaló finding the net in Portugal and Bruma scoring in Greece.

The Portuguese side were on a seven-match unbeaten home run (W6 D1) before losing 2-1 to Union SG on Matchday 3 of last season's Europa League group stage; their subsequent record is W3 L2.

Napoli

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W6 D4 L2 F16 A12
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W2 D2 L2

Napoli's last visit to Portugal brought a 2-1 victory at Benfica on Matchday 6 of the 2016/17 Champions League; they had also won 4-2 in Naples.

That victory in Lisbon was Napoli's first in Portugal since a 1-0 success at Porto in the 1974/75 UEFA Cup second round on their first visit.

Home and away, the Italian club are unbeaten in three games against Portuguese Liga sides (W2 D1).

This is Napoli's eighth Champions League group appearance overall, and a sixth in the past eight seasons.

The 2022/23 campaign proved to be the Italian side's most successful in their European Cup history, Napoli finishing top of Group A ahead of Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers and beating Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16 (2-0 a, 3-0 h). However, AC Milan ended their run in an all-Italian quarter-final (0-1 a, 1-1 h).

Last season was the first time Napoli had won a Champions League knockout tie, at the fourth attempt.

Napoli have won four of their last ten away European matches, losing three including two of the last three.

The Partenopei captured their third Italian league title, and a first since 1990, last season, finishing 16 points clear at the top of Serie A.

Championship-winning coach Luciano Spalletti stepped down in the summer, Napoli naming former Roma coach Rudi Garcia as his replacement.

Links and trivia

Has played in Portugal:
Mário Rui (Sporting CP youth 2003–07, Benfica 2008–11, Fatima 2010/11 loan)

Has played in Italy:
Lucas Piazón (Chievo 2019 loan)

Pizzi was in the Benfica side beaten 4-2 in Naples and 2-1 in Lisbon by Napoli in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage. André Horta also started the first match.

Bruma scored Leipzig's second goal in a 3-1 win at Napoli in the 2017/18 Europa League round of 32 first leg, also starting the subsequent 2-0 home defeat in Germany.

Jesper Lindstrøm came on as a substitute in Brøndby's 4-2 home defeat by Braga in the 2019/20 Europa League third qualifying round, playing 90 minutes in the 3-1 second-leg loss.

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa came on as a substitute in both games as Marseille beat Braga 3-0 at home and lost 1-0 away in the 2017/18 Europa League round of 32.

Jens-Lys Cajuste was a late substitute in both game as Midtjylland lost 3-1 at Braga and won 3-2 at home in the 2021/22 Europa League group stage.

Have played together:
José Fonte & Victor Osimhen (LOSC Lille 2019/20)
Bruma & Diego Demme (Leipzig 2017–19)

International team-mates:
Mário Rui & Pizzi, Bruma, João Moutinho, Ronny Lopes, José Fonte (Portugal)
Josafat Mendes & Jens-Lys Cajuste (Sweden)

Rodrigo Zalazar and Mathías Olivera are both Uruguay internationals, although they are still to feature in a match together.

Latest news

Braga

Summer transfers
In: Bruma (Fenerbahçe), Rodrigo Zalazar (Schalke), Vitor Carvalho (Gil Vicente), Víctor Gómez (Espanyol), Sikou Niakaté (Guingamp), Adrián Marín (Gil Vicente), Rony Lopes (Sevilla), João Moutinho (Wolves), José Fonte (LOSC Lille)
Out: Iuri Medeiros (Al-Nasr), Tormena (Krasnodar), Mario González (LAFC), Francisco Moura (Famalicão), Fabiano Souza (Moreirense), Guilherme Schettine (Ural), Sequeira (Pendikspor), Bruno Rodrigues (Chaves), Zé Carlos (Gil Vicente), Rodrigo Gomes (Estoril Praia, loan), Lucas Mineiro (Cuiabá-MT, loan), Gorby (Paços Ferreira, loan), Hernâni (Moreirense)

On Saturday Braga lost for the second time this season in all competitions, going down 3-1 at Farense in the Portuguese Liga. Simon Banza scored their goal, making it three in his last four league appearances.

That was Braga's first loss since a 2-1 home defeat against Famalicão on the first day of the new league season; their record otherwise is W6 D1.

The Arsenalistas had won five of their next six games after losing to Famalicão, the exception a 1-1 home draw against Sporting CP on 3 September.

Bruma and Alvaro Djaló are the team's top scorers in all competitions with four goals in nine games.

On 9 September Braga won 3-2 at Moreirense in a rearranged fixture. Summer signing Rony Lopes opened the scoring with his first Braga goal and midfielder Al Musrati, returning after injury, scored an added-time winner.

Matheus Magalhães made his 300th Braga appearance against Sporting CP, surpassing Quim as the goalkeeper with the most appearances for the club.

Ricardo Horta scored one goal and set up another as Portugal ran up their biggest international win, a 9-0 victory against Luxembourg in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying on 11 September.

Napoli

Summer signings
In: Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta, loan), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo, loan made permanent), Giovanni Simeone (Verona, loan made permanent), Elia Caprile (Bari, loaned to Empoli), Natan (RB Bragantino), Jens Cajuste (Reims), Walid Cheddira (Bari, loaned to Frosinone), Jesper Lindstrøm (Frankfurt)
Out: Andrea Petagna (Monza, loan made permanent), Sebastiano Luperto (Empoli, loan made permanent), Karim Zedadka (released), Davide Marfella (released), Min-jae Kim (Bayern), Hirving Lozano (PSV)

On Saturday goals in the final 15 minutes from substitutes Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano gave Napoli a 2-2 draw at Genoa, who had been two goals up.

Rudi Garcia's team have conceded the first goal in three of their first four league matches.

The Serie A champions have seven points after four games of the new campaign, only one fewer than at the same stage in 2022/23.

Napoli started the season with two consecutive wins before losing at home to Lazio in their third game.

Victor Osimhen started where he had left off last season, scoring twice in a 3-1 win at Frosinone on 19 August after the home side had taken an early lead. Politano got Napoli's other goal.

Osimhen scored again in a 2-0 win at home to ten-man Sassuolo on 27 August, captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo adding the other.

Napoli have won their opening home Serie A game for eight consecutive seasons for the first time in their history.

However, Piotr Zieliński's strike was not enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat against Lazio in Naples on 2 September.

Zieliński has scored 40 goals in Serie A, 13 of them from outside the penalty area.

Politano suffered a calf injury while on international duty with Italy and started on the bench for Napoli on Saturday, coming on at half-time.

On 14 August left-back Mario Rui renewed his contract until 2026. On 5 August Di Lorenzo had signed until 2028.

Osimhen hit a hat-trick in Nigeria's 6-0 win against Sao Tomé & Principe in CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 10 September.

Elif Elmas scored for North Macedonia in the 2-0 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying win against Malta on 12 September.