Braga eye another big scalp as Liverpool visit

SC Braga will look to maintain their excellent recent home form against English sides as Liverpool FC come to Portugal, bidding to maintain an unbeaten run in this season's UEFA Europa League.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition.

• Braga have played ten games against English sides in Europe, with the record W2 D1 L7 (W2 D0 L3 at home). They have won their last two home matches against Premier League opponents without conceding.

• Liverpool's 16 games against Portuguese clubs have ended W8 D4 L4 (W2 D3 L3 away). They have not won in their last six in Portugal since a 4-1 victory at SL Benfica in the 1983/84 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals, en route to lifting the trophy.

Match background
• Braga have won their last three European home fixtures by identical 2-0 scorelines, beating FK Partizan and Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League group stage and then KKS Lech Poznań in the UEFA Europa League round of 32.

• Unbeaten in 13 European games – 12 of them this season – Liverpool have gone three matches without conceding in the UEFA Europa League; indeed four of their last seven continental fixtures have ended 0-0. They are six unbeaten away from home, but have drawn the last four.

Team facts
• Liverpool won the UEFA Cup three times (in 1973, 1976 and 2001) and are thus the most successful side left in this season's competition, though PSV Eindhoven (1978), Bayer 04 Leverkusen (1988), AFC Ajax (1992), FC Porto (2003), PFC CSKA Moskva (2005) and FC Zenit St Petersburg (2008) have also won it.

• Braga's next goal will be their 100th in UEFA club competition; this will be their 73rd UEFA club competition game.

• Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is up against Liga opposition for the first time as a coach, but he faced Portuguese sides in nine games as a player for Liverpool, Scotland and Celtic with the record W7 D0 L2 (W2 D0 L2 in Portugal). In those fixtures he scored three goals and picked up the only red card of his European playing career, in Liverpool's 1-0 loss at Benfica in the 1984/85 European Cup second round.

• Liverpool's Raul Meireles will be facing Portuguese opponents for the first time since leaving Porto for Anfield in the summer. He won four league titles and three Portuguese Cups with the Dragons.

• Braga's Hugo Viana faced Liverpool once in his days at Newcastle United FC – a 2-2 draw in September 2002.

• Meireles played 11 games against Braga (two with Boavista FC and nine with Porto) with the record W5 D4 L2.

• Braga stars Alan (2005-07) and Hélder Barbosa (2005/06 and 2007/08) were team-mates of Meireles at Porto, while Miguel Garcia, Custódio and Viana played alongside the midfielder in Portugal youth teams.