Braga v Ludogorets background

UEFA Europa League Group C leaders Braga will seek to extend their continental winning streak to six games as they welcome a Ludogorets side short of away success.

Previous meetings
• The clubs are meeting for the first time; neither has previously played a team from their opponents' home country.

• Portuguese sides have had the better of the 16 UEFA club competition encounters with Bulgarian clubs: W9 D5 L2.

• Ludogorets will look to become the first Bulgarian team to win a UEFA club competiton game in Portugal (D1 L7).

Form guide
• Unbeaten in six European matches this season, Braga are on a five-game winning streak in the UEFA Europa League.

• Ludogorets are undefeated in five European matches (W3 D2), but are without a win in nine UEFA away games (D6 L3).

• Fifth in Portugal last term, and runners-up in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League, Braga are competing in this group stage for the third straight season.

• Bulgarian champions Ludogorets got to the round of 16 in their only previous UEFA Europa League group stage campaign of 2013/14 – and played in last season's round of 32 after transferring from the UEFA Champions League.

Trivia and links
• The journey from Razgrad to Braga is around 2,850km.

• The fixture is taking place the day after Braga midfielder Fransérgio's 27th birthday.

• Misses next match if booked: Raúl Silva (Braga).

The coaches
• At the helm since April 2017, Abel Ferreira was previously Braga's B team coach. A right-back, he graduated from home-town side Penafiel to Vitória Guimarães, Braga and Sporting CP, where he won two Portuguese Cups before retiring in 2011.

• Hired in summer 2017, Ludogorets boss Dimitar Dimitrov established his coaching reputation at home-town club Neftochimik Burgas and landed Bulgarian titles with Litex Lovech and Levski Sofia, later coaching in Russia and Kazakhstan.