Union Berlin vs Braga match facts

Union Berlin's first UEFA Champions League game ended in late disappointment and they now kick off their home campaign in the competition against Braga, who also conceded at the last to lose their Group C opener.

The German club looked set to earn an impressive draw at 14-time European champions Real Madrid on Matchday 1 only for their resistance to finally crack four minutes into added time to condemn them to a 1-0 defeat. Braga equalised through Bruma with six minutes left at home to Napoli, but an own goal from Sikou Niakaté two minutes from time allowed the visitors to snatch a 2-1 victory in Portugal.

The teams might be relative Champions League novices but they will be well acquainted having been drawn together in the same UEFA Europa League section in 2022/23.

Previous meetings 

The teams met in last season's Europa League group stage, each recording a 1-0 home win. Vitinha's 77th-minute strike gave Braga victory in Portugal on Matchday 2; a Robin Knoche penalty in the 68th minute of the return in Germany on Matchday 5 earned Union three points.

Union finished second in Europa League Group D last season, one point behind Union Saint-Gilloise but two ahead of Braga, who moved into the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Form guide

Union Berlin

Last season's fixtures against Braga are Union's only games against a Portuguese club.

Union earned their European Cup debut by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga in 2022/23 – their highest league finish.

Union and Antwerp in Group H are the only clubs to be making their first Champions League group appearance in 2022/23.

This is Union's third successive season in UEFA competition and just their fourth overall.

Having reached the Europa Conference League group stage in 2021/22, their first continental campaign in 20 years, Die Eisernen took part in the Europa League group stage in 2022/23. Second in their section behind Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise, they impressively eliminated Ajax in the knockout round play-offs (0-0 a, 3-1 h) only to lose their last-16 reunion with Union SG (3-3 h, 0-3 a).

Union won three of their five home European matches in 2022/23 (D1 L1). That made it nine home victories with five defeats (D3).

Urs Fischer's side collected 62 points in the 2022/23 Bundesliga, nine behind champions Bayern München.

Braga

Record vs German clubs: W3 D2 L5 F9 A13
Away record vs German clubs: W1 D0 L3

Braga were without a win in their first six matches (D2 L4) against German clubs before defeating Hoffenheim twice in the 2017/18 Europa League group stage (2-1 a, 3-1 h), their most recent fixtures before last season.

The Portuguese side have lost three of their four games away against Bundesliga sides, failing to score in any of those defeats.

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 Europa League final, losing an all-Portuguese decider 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 (0-4 h, 2-3 a).

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 wins at Bačka Topola and Panathinaikos this season have made it four victories in Braga's last 13 away European matches, a run that includes seven defeats.

Braga have won one of their three away games in each of their two previous Champions League group campaigns, losing the other two matches – they conceded 14 goals in those four defeats.

Links and trivia

Diogo Leite made 34 appearances for Braga in all competitions while on loan at the club in 2021/22.

Leite came through the ranks at Porto, whom he joined in 2008 aged nine. He made his first-team debut in a 3-1 win against CD Aves in the Portuguese Super Cup on 4 August 2018 and went on to play 51 times for the club in all competitions, scoring three goals. Having won the UEFA Youth League in 2018/19, he helped the senior side win a Portuguese Liga and cup double the following season, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 cup final victory against a Benfica side that included Pizzi.

Have played in Germany:
Rodrigo Zalazar (Eintracht Frankfurt 2019–22, St. Pauli 2020/21 loan, Schalke 2021–23)
Bruma (Leipzig 2017–19)

Have played together:
Rodrigo Zalazar, Alexander Schwolow & Alex Král (Schalke 2022/23)

International team-mates:
Diogo Leite & André Horta (Portugal Under-21)

Al Musrati scored past Frederik Rønnow in Vitória SC's 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Latest news

Union Berlin

Summer transfers 
In: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds, loan), Diogo Leite (Porto, loan made permanent), Mikkel Kaufmann (Copenhagen), Lennart Grill (Leverkusen, loaned to Osnabrück), Alex Král (Spartak Moskva, loan), David Datro Fofana (Chelsea, loan), Alexander Schwolow (Hertha Berlin), Lucas Tousart (Hertha Berlin), Benedict Hollerbach (Wehen Wiesbaden), Robin Gosens (Inter), Kevin Volland (Monaco), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

Out: Sven Michel (Augsburg), Paul Seguin (Schalke), Levin Öztunali (Hamburg), Kevin Möhwald (Eupen), Niko Gießelmann (Fürth), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Kaiserslautern, loan), Rick van Drongelen (Samsunspor), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart, loan), Morten Thorsby (Genoa, loan), Keita Endo (Eintracht Braunschweig, loan), Tim Maciejewski (Sandhausen), Miloš Pantović (Eupen), Jordan Siebatcheu (Mönchengladbach, loan), Dominique Heintz (Köln), Tim Skarke (Darmstadt, loan)

Union have lost their last five games, their longest run of defeats since 2020. On Saturday they went down 1-0 at Heidenheim, their fourth successive Bundesliga reverse.

Three days after the last-minute loss in Madrid the Berlin club went down 2-0 at home against Hoffenheim.

After six Bundesliga matchdays Union Berlin's record is two wins and four defeats. They have scored once in their last four league games.

Union started the new season with a 4-1 win against Mainz on 20 August. Kevin Behrens scored three headers, the first player to do so in the Bundesliga since Markus Schroth for Karlsruhe in 1997.

On 3 September Urs Fischer's team lost 3-0 at home against Leipzig. Kevin Volland was sent off in the second half of what was his full Union debut and 250th Bundesliga appearance.

Before losing to Leipzig, Union were unbeaten at home in 24 Bundesliga games (W16 D8) – a club record.

Union were 4-0 winners at fourth-tier Astoria Walldorf in the German Cup first round on 13 August, Diogo Leite scoring his first goal for the club.

Robin Knoche has missed Union's last two games with a knock.

Rani Khedira has not played since 13 August due to a calf injury.

Laurenz Dehl has been sidelined since 19 August with an Achilles tendon problem.

András Schäfer has been out since mid-May due to a foot injury that required surgery.

On 7 August, Fischer was voted coach of the year in Germany.

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 Thursday an Álvaro Djaló goal early in each half helped Braga to a 4-2 win at Estrela Amadora in the Portuguese Liga, Simon Banza making it 3-0 with his fourth goal in as many league games then – after the home side had pulled two goals back – Ricardo Horta wrapping up the win late on.

Álvaro Djaló now has three league goals this season, as many as in the whole of 2022/23.

Having suffered a second successive defeat against Napoli, Braga got back on track with a 4-1 home win against Boavista on 24 September. They have now won three of their last six games (D1 L2).

The defeat of Boavista was also Braga's first home win in this season's Portuguese Liga (D1 L1).

Braga have won consecutive league games for the first time in ten matches, a run going back to April.

Ricardo Horta scored twice against Boavista and now has five goals in his last six league appearances.

Álvaro Djaló is the team's top scorer in all competitions this season with six goals, one more than Bruma and Ricardo Horta.

Banza has four goals in his last five games in all competitions.

Matheus Magalhães made his 300th Braga appearance in a 1-1 home draw against Sporting CP on 3 September, surpassing Quim as the goalkeeper with the most appearances for the club. The match against Boavista was his 200th league game for the club in the league.

Víctor Gómez was replaced after five minutes at Estrela Amadora due to injury.

Braga will play Casa Pia and Nacional in the Portuguese League Cup group stage.