Braga aim to oust Lech

SC Braga will be aiming to qualify for the UEFA Europa League last 16 for third time in five years when they host KKS Lech Poznań in the their round of 32 decider, 1-0 down from the first leg.

• Latvian international Artjoms Rudņevs, scourge of Juventus during the group stage, caught the visiting back line cold 18 minutes from time in the first leg, running onto Sergei Krivets' well-weighted through ball and slotting under goalkeeper Artur.

Previous meetings
• This tie represents the clubs' maiden meeting, and this is also the first occasion that either side have been paired with a team from their opponents' home country.

Match background
• Braga have won four of their five home games in Europe this season without conceding a goal, scoring eight at the other end. The only exception to that solid record was a 3-0 home defeat by FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Lech have lost only once in their last four European away games – 3-1 at Manchester City FC – and earned wins on the road against both FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and FC Salzburg as well as a 3-3 draw at Juventus.

• Polish champions Lech are unbeaten in their last five European home games; three of those ended in victory.

• Braga have reached the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League round of 32 in four of the last five seasons, drawing a blank last term. They have progressed to the round of 16 twice, but lost out to SV Werder Bremen at this stage in 2007/08.

• Lech are playing in the round of 32 for the second time, having reached this stage in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. They lost 4-3 on aggregate to Udinese Calcio in what was their maiden springtime UEFA club competition tie.

Team facts
• Braga are three goals shy of their 100th in UEFA club competition; the decider is their 72nd European fixture.

• This is Braga's 50th UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League game; the previous 49 have ended W18 D9 L22.

• Lech have conceded 127 fouls since the start of the group stage; more than any other side in the UEFA Europa League this season.

• FC Porto's Falcao remains the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League's top scorer with seven goals. PFC CSKA Moskva's Tomáš Necid is his nearest rival on six goals. Sevilla FC's Frédéric Kanouté and Lech's Rudņevs joined former AC Sparta Praha striker Wilfried Bony, Giuseppi Rossi of Villarreal CF, FC Dynamo Kyiv's Artem Milevskiy and SSC Napoli's Edinson Cavani on five goals with strikes in the first legs of the round of 32 ties.

• Lech's Serbian left-back Ivan Djurdjević knows a good deal about Liga football having represented SC Farense (2000-02), Vitória SC (2002-05) and CF Os Belenenses (2005-07) during a seven-year spell in Portugal.

• Djurdjević is a former team-mate of two Braga players; he played alongside forward Paulo César at Guimarães in 2002/03 and striker Albert Meyong at Belenenses in 2005/06.

• Braga's Brazilian forward Elton played in Poland, joining Legia Warszawa on loan from AD São Caetano for the first half of the 2006/07 season. He scored three goals in 11 league games.

• Braga coach Domingos Paciênca was involved in three matches against Polish sides as an FC Porto player. He scored as the Dragons beat ŁKS Łódź 2-0 at home in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and also featured as they won the away leg 1-0.

• The final European appearance of his playing career came at Wisła Kraków on 26 October 2000, when he came on as a substitute in the final minute of a goalless draw in the UEFA Cup.

• Lech coach José Maria Bakero played five games against Portuguese sides as a midfielder with Real Sociedad de Fútbol and FC Barcelona; he was on the losing side in the first as Sporting Clube de Portugal beat Real Sociedad 1-0, but scored his maiden European goal as his side won the return leg 2-0.

• He was a winner in the other three ties too, including Barcelona's one-legged home European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-final win against Porto in 1994.

• The overall winners will take on the victors in the tie between AC Sparta Praha and Liverpool FC in the round of 16 on 10 and 17 March, playing the first leg away from home.