Birmingham fortress faces Braga test

Birmingham City FC boasted a proud home record in their European games of the 1950s and 1960s and will hope St Andrews is a fortress once again as they host last season's UEFA Europa League finalists SC Braga in Group H.

Previous meetings 
• The sides are meeting for the first time in Europe.

• This will be Birmingham's third successive European game against Portuguese opponents – remarkable given that this is only their third UEFA club fixture. The Blues beat CD Nacional in the play-offs to reach the group stage, winning 3-0 at home after a 0-0 draw in Funchal.

• Braga's 12 games against English sides have ended W3 D2 L7 (W0 D2 L4 in England). They have scored three times in six games in England while conceding 17 goals.

• The Arsenalistas took on two English teams in Europe last season en route to the UEFA Europa League final. They lost 6-0 at Arsenal FC in the UEFA Champions League, but won the return fixture 2-0. They then eliminated Liverpool FC in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, winning 1-0 at home and earning a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

Match background 
• Birmingham won their only previous UEFA home game 3-0 and have yet to concede a goal in the UEFA Europa League.

• If you factor in games from the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the non-UEFA affiliated precursor to the UEFA Cup where Birmingham were regulars in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Blues' unbeaten European home run extends back to a 3-0 win against a City of Zagreb XI in December 1956 – the first continental fixture to be played at St Andrews. Birmingham went unbeaten through 12 Fairs Cup home games, winning ten and drawing two.

• Excluding last season's UEFA Europa League final, which they lost 1-0 to FC Porto in Dublin, Braga have not won in six away games (three draws and three defeats) since a 1-0 win at FK Partizan in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Braga have not won in eight UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League away games (five draws and three defeats) since a 2-1 victory at sc Heerenveen in the 2008/09 group stage, on 4 December 2008.

Team facts
• Braga full-back Emmanuel Imorou, a summer signing from LB Châteauroux, celebrates his 23rd birthday the day after the Birmingham game.

• Birmingham's only past Portuguese player of note is José Dominguez; the winger played at St Andrews from 1994 to 1995, later returning to England with Tottenham Hotspur FC from 1997 to 2000.

• Braga's most notable link to England is their colours; the club changed from green and white to red and white shirts in 1921 after their coach saw Arsenal in action during a trip to London. The club have been nicknamed the Arsenalistas ever since.

• Chris Hughton replaced Alex McLeish as Birmingham coach in June following their relegation from the Premier League. The London-born former Irish international left-back spent the bulk of his career at Tottenham, where he also started coaching. His first senior role came at Newcastle United FC from 2009 to 2010.

• Leonardo Jardim is in charge at Braga having replaced Sporting Clube de Portugal-bound Domingos Paciência in the summer. The Venezuelan-born boss was in charge at AD Camacha, GD Chaves and SC Beira-Mar before becoming Braga coach.