Braga and Partizan aim to get off the mark

Two teams without a point to their name so far in Group H meet at the Estádio Municipal as SC Braga play host to FK Partizan. The winners can begin to revive their fortunes; for the defeated team it would take an extraordinary series of results for them to go on and claim a place in the knockout rounds.

• After Arsenal FC made it a debut appearance to forget for Braga by brushing aside the 2009/10 Liga runners-up 6-0 in north London on Matchday 1, the 3-0 home defeat by FC Shakhtar Donetsk that followed was equally dispiriting.

• Partizan began Group H with a 1-0 defeat at FC Shakhtar Donetsk. For long periods on Matchday 2, Aleksandar Stanojević's team looked capable of taking something from the home game with Arsenal but ultimately lost 3-1. Cléo had pegged back the Gunners with a first-half penalty but his second spot kick was beaten away by Łukasz Fabiański late on.

Previous meetings
• Braga have played three fixtures against Serbian sides before, all against FK Crvena Zvezda. In the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage they won 2-0 at home while their 2005/06 UEFA Cup first round tie ended in two draws – 0-0 in Serbia and 1-1 in Portugal – as Braga were eliminated on away goals.

• From six previous visits to Portugal, Partizan have one victory to their name, a 3-1 win at Sporting Clube de Portugal in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup first round that set up a 6-4 aggregate triumph. They have also suffered three defeats, one of which was a 2-1 reverse at FC Porto in 2003/04, their only previous UEFA Champions League group stage participation. Andrija Delibašić's added-time strike was Partizan's only goal in their three group away games.

Match background
• Domingos Paciência's Braga relied heavily on their impressive home form en route to their first group stage appearance. In the third qualifying round a 3-0 first-leg win at home to Celtic FC was ample insurance for a 2-1 reverse in Glasgow. Sevilla FC were then shocked in the play-offs, Braga winning 1-0 at home and 4-3 in Spain to seal a famous triumph.

• Partizan eased past FC Pyunik 4-1 in the second qualifying round, winning 1-0 away, and next faced HJK Helsinki, a 2-1 away win cementing a 5-1 overall success. In the play-off round they eventually came through a thrilling tie with RSC Anderlecht, surviving the concession of a two-goal lead – Brazilian striker Cléo scoring both to add to his first-leg strike in a 2-2 draw – in the decisive leg in Belgium for another 2-2 draw. Partizan won the penalty shoot-out 3-2.

• In their only previous group stage participation in 2003/04, the Belgrade club lost all three away games and managed to score just a single goal on the road. Their home games all ended in draws.

Team ties
• Vladimir Stojković signed for Sporting in 2007/08. However he only made nine league appearances for the Lisbon club and joined Partizan on a season's loan in August.

• During a spell with Crvena Zvezda, Stojković was involved in the aforementioned 2005/06 UEFA Cup games with Braga. He was an unused substitute in the first leg but started the return in Portugal. Vandinho and Andrés Madrid started both legs of the tie for Braga.

• Cléo played in Portugal for third division side CD Olivais e Moscavide in two spells, in 2004/05 and from 2006 to 2008.

• Partizan's Portuguese midfielder Almami Moreira played for several clubs in his homeland including Boavista FC, Gil Vicente FC and Clube Desportivo das Aves.

• Pierre Boya and Albert Meyong are team-mates with the Cameroon national team.