Machado leads Braga against Bayern
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Article summary
Portuguese side SC Braga hope that a change of coach will help them as Manuel Machado leads them against FC Bayern München in their second Group F fixture.
Article body
SC Braga hope that a change of coach will help them as they take on German giants FC Bayern München in their second Group F fixture.
• Braga have changed coaches since starting their Group F campaign with a 1-1 draw at Bolton Wanderers FC. Jorge Costa was dismissed after a run of disappointing starts in the Portuguese Liga.
• His replacement is Manuel Machado, who said: "I want to continue the good performances in the UEFA Cup while in the league the goal is to finish in the top places so we can play in Europe next season."
• Bayern top Group F after a 3-2 win at FK Crvena Zvezda and a 2-2 draw at home against Bolton in their first two games. They will be sure of a place in the knockout phase of the competition if they win against Braga.
• Bayern's unbeaten start to the season in all competitions ended in a 3-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart on 10 November, much to the disappointment of club president Franz Beckenbauer, who said: "Everything was missing; the desire to run, the right attitude, and the will to make challenges. It was a return to the bad old days."
• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.
• Bayern have played Portuguese sides 19 games in the past, winning eleven, drawing seven and losing just once. That sole defeat came in the 1986/87 UEFA Cup final when they went down 2-1 against FC Porto.
• Bayern have never lost a UEFA competition game in Portugal, winning four of their games on Portuguese soil and drawing the other five.
• Bayern met Braga's Liga rivals CF Os Belenenses in the first round of this season's UEFA Cup, winning 1-0 at home and 2-0 in the Lisbon return.
• Braga's only previous experience of German opposition saw them lose 2-0 at FC Schalke 04 before drawing at home in the second leg of a 1997/98 UEFA Cup third round tie.
• Braga won both their previous UEFA Cup group stage home games, in 2006/07, without conceding a goal. They have lost only once in their last ten European home outings - a 3-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur FC in last season's Round of 16.