Rangers vs Braga Europa League quarter-final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups
Thursday, April 14, 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 second leg between Rangers and Braga.
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Rangers and Braga meet in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday 14 April.
Rangers vs Braga at a glance
When: Thursday 14 April (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
What: UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg
How it stands: Braga lead 1-0 from the first leg
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Semi-final opponent: Leipzig / Atalanta
Where to watch Rangers vs Braga on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.
What happened in the first leg?
Rangers started brightly against opponents they beat twice in 2020, but Ricardo Horta sent a low shot against a post as the balance shifted, and the pressure told when Abel Ruiz put the only goal of the game past Allan McGregor on 40 minutes. McGregor then had to beat a powerful André Horta effort around the post, with Rangers struggling to find a cutting edge in the absence of injured striker Alfredo Morelos.
Possible starting line-ups
Rangers: McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Jack, Davis; Ramsey, Aribo, Kent; Roofe
Suspended for second leg: none
Misses next game if booked: Aribo, Jack, Lundstram, Morelos, Sakala
Braga: Matheus; Couto, Fabiano, Vítor Tormena, Carmo; Al Musrati, Iuri Medeiros, André Horta; Ricardo Horta, Abel Ruiz, Rodrigo Gomes
Suspended for second leg: none
Misses next game if booked: Al Musrati, André Castro, Carmo, Francisco Moura
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.
Form guide
Rangers
Last five games (all competitions, most recent first): WLLWL
Where they stand: 2nd in Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup semi-finals
Braga
Last five games (all competitions, most recent first): WWWWD
Where they stand: 4th in Portuguese Liga
Expert prediction
Alex O'Henley, match reporter
With memories of their 3-2 home win against Braga in 2020 still fresh in the memory of the players, Rangers will be confident they can turn around the one-goal deficit from the first leg in Braga to book their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2008.
What the coaches say
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Rangers coach: "We can overcome this result. Now we've played them once, we have a better understanding of the opponent. It's a big game and we need a big performance from everyone, but I'm confident. Reaching the semi-finals would be a great achievement; it's a big night for all of us and we should enjoy it."
Carlos Carvalhal, Braga coach: "We're not going to wait for anything, even though we have the advantage from the first leg. We're going to throw ourselves into the game and try to win it. We're not going to change anything in our model. Not long ago we won at Sporting, Benfica and FC Porto, teams that compete for the Champions, and we didn't went to those stadiums to play for the draw, because if we did we couldn't have won there."
Where is the 2022 Europa League final?
Sevilla'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.