Napoli vs Braga facts

Napoli will need to extend their record of never having lost at home to a Portuguese club as Braga come to southern Italy looking for the victory they need to move ahead of their hosts and into second place in UEFA Champions League Group C.

The Italian side – 2-1 winners in Portugal on Matchday 1 thanks to a late Sikou Niakaté own goal – were six minutes away from securing progress at Real Madrid last time out, but conceded two late goals to lose 4-2. That left them on seven points, three ahead of Braga, who held on for a 1-1 draw at home to Union Berlin on Matchday 5 despite playing for almost an hour with ten men after Niakaté's first-half red card.

Quarter-finalists in 2022/23, Napoli are looking to reach the Champions League knockout rounds for the fifth time; both of Braga's previous campaigns foundered in the group stage.

The Portuguese side's four points has them two ahead of Union, who finish at home to a Madrid team that have won their first five fixtures. A point would guarantee the Portuguese club third place and a spot in the UEFA Europa League knockout round play-offs.

Previous meetings

The teams' first ever fixture on 20 September was settled by an 88th-minute own goal from Braga's Niakaté; four minutes earlier, Bruma had levelled Giovanni Di Lorenzo's first-half opener for the visitors (45+1).

Form guide

Napoli

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W7 D4 L2 F18 A13
Home record vs Portuguese clubs: W4 D2 L0

Napoli's last home game against Portuguese visitors brought a 4-2 victory against Benfica on Matchday 2 of the 2016/17 Champions League; they won 2-1 in Lisbon on Matchday 6.

The Partenopei have won four of their six games at home against clubs from Portugal and three of the last four.

Home and away, the Italian club are now unbeaten in four games against Portuguese Liga sides (W3 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.

Having kicked off this season with victory in Braga, Napoli were then beaten 3-2 at home by Madrid before taking four points from their two games against Union Berlin (1-0 a, 1-1 h) prior to their defeat in Spain last time out.

The Matchday 2 defeat by Madrid is the Italian side's sole loss in 15 home Champions League games (W9 D5), since a 4-2 defeat by Manchester City on Matchday 4 in 2017/18.

Napoli have won eight of their last 12 Champions League group stage matches (D1 L3).

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. They parted company with the Frenchman on 14 November, turning to Walter Mazzarri – who had been in charge between 2009 and 2013 – on a contract until the end of the season.

Braga

Record vs Italian clubs: W3 D2 L7 F11 A19
Away record vs Italian clubs: W1 D1 L4

Matchday 1 made it five successive losses to Serie A clubs with 14 goals conceded and only four scored. Braga had lost home (0-4) and away (2-3) defeats against Fiorentina in last season's UEFA Europa Conference knockout round play-offs.

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 L6, 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 ended in 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.

Braga have picked up four points, three of them in a 3-2 win at Union Berlin on Matchday 2 – a game in which they trailed to 2-0 – but been beaten 2-1 at home by both Real Madrid and Napoli. They went down 3-0 in Spain on Matchday 4 before the home draw against Union in their last fixture.

The wins at Bačka Topola, Panathinaikos and Union Berlin this season have made it five victories in Braga's last 15 away European matches, a run that includes eight 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

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

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

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

Latest news

Napoli

On Friday Napoli suffered a third successive defeat in all competitions for the first time since October 2016, losing 1-0 at Juventus in Serie A.

After losing at Real Madrid on Matchday 5, Napoli were beaten 3-0 at home by Inter on 3 December.

It was their second consecutive home defeat in Serie A. On 12 November Napoli lost 1-0 at home against Empoli, a result which led to the departure of coach Rudi Garcia. He was replaced by Walter Mazzarri, who had been in charge between 2009 and 2013.

Napoli have lost four of their last six home games in Serie A although Friday's defeat at Juventus was their first away loss in the league this season. That was their fifth defeat of the Serie A season; the Partenopei lost four league games in total in 2022/23.

Only Empoli, with five, have lost more home games than Napoli this term in Serie A.

A 2-1 win at Atalanta on 25 November is Napoli's only win in six games in all competitions (D1 L4), and one of only four in their last 12 matches (D2 L6).

Napoli have 24 points after 15 Serie A matches this season, 17 less than at the same stage of 2022/23.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has scored four goals in his last six games for club and country, although he has drawn a blank in the last three.

Matteo Politano has five goals in Serie A this term; he has scored more in a season only twice during his time in Serie A, registering ten with Sassuolo in 2017/18 and nine for Napoli in 2020/21.

The Partenopei will be at home to Frosinone in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia on 19 December.

Victor Osimhen has started the last two games; he was out with a hamstring injury between 13 October and 25 November, when he returned as a substitute.

Jens Cajuste suffered a sprained knee during his brief substitute appearance on Friday.

Mathías Olivera was carried off on a stretcher shortly before half-time on 12 November against Atalanta on 25 November with a serious injury to his left knee.

Mário Rui suffered a thigh injury against Empoli and has not played since.

On 4 December Napoli were named best club for their Scudetto-winning campaign last term at the Gran Gala del Calcio organised by the Association of Italian Footballers, with former boss Luciano Spalletti selected as best coach. Kvaratskhelia received the award for the best men's goal and Victor Osimhen was chosen as best player. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Stanislav Lobotka, Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen were all included in the Team of the Season.

On 30 October Osimhen finished eighth in the vote for the Ballon d'Or with Kvaratskhelia 17th.

Braga

Roger Fernandes became Braga's youngest Champions League player when he came on as a substitute on Matchday 5 aged 18 years eight days.

In the same game, defender Sikou Niakaté was sent off for the second time this season; it was his fifth red card in 50 games for Braga.

Ricardo Horta provided his 11th assist of the season in all competitions against Union, a new personal best.

Braga's record in this season's Portuguese Liga is W9 D2 L2.

On Friday Simon Banza scored the first two goals and set up the third, for substitute Bruma in added time, in a 3-1 win away against Vizela. That made it four successive Portuguese Liga victories and seven in their last eight league games.

Braga were also 3-1 winners at home to Estoril on 3 December; it was the sixth time this season they had come from behind to win.

Ricardo Horta scored Braga's first goal and now has five in his last seven league games. That was also his 348th game for the Arsenalistas, taking him clear of Alan – now a club director – in second place in the club's all-time appearance list behind only José Maria Azevedo, who played 405 matches between 1955 and 1969.

Braga were 4-1 winners at Portimonense in the Portuguese Cup fourth round on 5 November, Ricardo Horta scoring twice and Álvaro Djaló and Rony Lopes once each; the latter two players have found the net in both of Braga's games in the competition this season.

The Arsenalistas will visit Benfica in the last 16 of the Portuguese Cup in January.

Braga had made it successive league victories with a 1-0 win at Arouca on 12 November. Álvaro Djaló scored the only goal and has four in his last seven league games.

Banza, who also scored against Estoril, is now the team's top scorer with 13 goals, one more than Álvaro Djaló. All of the former's goals have come in the Portuguese Liga while Djaló has found the net in three of the four competitions his club has featured in so far.

Braga have scored in 24 of their 25 games in all competitions this season, the exception the Matchday 4 defeat at Real Madrid.

Braga ended a three-game winless run (D2 L1) in style by coming from behind in a 6-1 home defeat of Portimonense on 4 November, Banza scoring a hat-trick in the final seven minutes, the seventh successive league game in which he had found the net. He now has 12 goals in his last ten league appearances.

It was the first time the Arsenalistas had scored six goals in a game since a 6-0 Portuguese Liga win at Arouca on 28 August 2022.

Braga started their campaign in the 2023/24 Portuguese League Cup with a 1-1 home draw against Casa Pia on 1 November, Pizzi scoring their goal.

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. A 4-1 win against Boavista on 24 September was his 200th league game for the club.

The 3-2 win at Union Berlin on Matchday 2 was the first time a Portuguese team has recovered from a two-goal deficit to win in the Champions League era.

On 10 November coach Artur Jorge extended his contract with Braga until June 2025.