Braga v Gent background

The Estádio Municipal de Braga hosts a contest between a former finalist and a member of last season's UEFA Champions League last 16 as Braga take on Gent.

Previous meetings
• This UEFA Europa League Group H fixture is the clubs' first meeting in UEFA competition.

• Gent's only previous encounters with Portuguese opposition were against Sporting CP in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, where they crashed 5-1 in Lisbon but triumphed 3-1 at home two weeks later.

• Braga's record in four matches against Belgian teams is W1 D2 L1 (W1 L1 at home).

Form guide
• Braga have lost just one of their last six European home games (W4 D1 L1).

• Losing finalists in 2011, Braga have made it through all five of their preceding UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League campaigns.

• Gent are unbeaten in four European fixtures this season (W3 D1).

• Gent missed the cut in their sole previous UEFA Europa League group stage campaign, in 2010/11.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Ghent to Braga is around 1,400km.

• Braga forward Ricardo Horta turns 22 on the day of the match.

The coaches
• José Peseiro returned for a second stint as Braga coach this summer, following a brief spell in charge at Porto. A lower-league forward, he was Carlos Queiroz's assistant at Real Madrid and later occupied the helms of Sporting, Panathinaikos and Rapid Bucureşti.

• Hein Vanhaezebrouck guided Gent to the Belgian title in 2014/15 and steered them into the UEFA Champions League round of 16 last season. He established his reputation during two periods in the dug-out of home-town club Kortrijk, for whom he had also played.