Braga vs Rangers Europa League quarter-final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups
Thursday, April 7, 2022
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When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg between Braga and Rangers.
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Braga and Rangers meet in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday 7 April.
Braga vs Rangers at a glance
When: Thursday 7 April (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga
What: UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg (second leg 14 April)
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Semi-final opponents: Leipzig or Atalanta
Where to watch Braga vs Rangers on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
Braga and Rangers are out to avenge previous disappointment in this competition; the Light Blues were runners-up in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, while the Arsenalistas lost to Porto in an all-Portuguese 2010/11 final. Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side can draw some comfort from the teams' only previous meeting: Rangers beat Braga 4-2 on aggregate in the 2019/20 Europa League round of 32.
Possible starting line-ups
Braga: Matheus; Paulo Oliveira, David Carmo, Vítor Tormena; Fabiano, Al Musrati, André Horta, Rodrigo Gomes; Iuri Medeiros, Ricardo Horta; Vitinha
Suspended: none
Misses next game if booked: Al Musrati, André Castro, Francisco Moura
Rangers: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Jack, Lundstram; Aribo, Ramsey, Kent; Roofe
Suspended: none
Misses next game if booked: Aribo, Lundstram, Morelos, Sakala
Form guide
Braga
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first): WWDLW
Where they stand: 4th in Primeira Liga
Rangers
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first): LWLWW
Where they stand: 2nd in Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup semi-finals
Away goals rule abolished
There has been a rule change for 2021/22: ties level after the second leg will go to extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required, irrespective of the number of away goals a team has scored.
Expert prediction
Nuno Tavares, match reporter
Braga are out to avenge their 2019/20 UEFA Europa League last-32 defeat against Rangers and this seems to be the right time to do it, with Carlos Carvalhal's men fresh from an encouraging 3-2 home win against Benfica in the Liga. Their exciting mixture of experience and youth is capable of producing impressive displays like that one on Friday and the connection between the Horta brothers is something special. If they can click again, Rangers will have their hands full.
What the coaches say
Carlos Carvalhal, Braga coach: "We have prepared well for a very difficult opponent; Rangers eliminated Borussia Dortmund and Crvena zvezda, who came top of our group. That shows how hard it will be. Rangers are a compact, solid team, with a 4-2-3-1 formation, a very mobile striker, very good midfielders, a consistent defence, a very experienced goalkeeper: a team with strengths, but also weaknesses, and we will try to make the most of those."
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers coach: "It is not often you play a quarter-final in Europe: it is a big opportunity to reach the semi-finals. We have to work hard and put in top performances. Braga are a very good team, they won against Benfica on Friday and we look forward to a tough challenge."
Where is the 2022 Europa League final?
Seville's Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium will stage the final on Wednesday 18 May.
The winners gain a place in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.