Aris hope Braga buckle in Greece

A win at home against SC Braga will send FC Aris Thessaloniki through to the Round of 32 but their Portuguese guests will not give in easily.

• After two Group F games, Aris are second having drawn 1-1 at Bolton Wanderers FC before overwhelming FK Crvena Zvezda – Aris coach Dušan Bajević's previous club – 3-0 on Matchday 2. Another win would see them through to the last 32 regardless of the result from their final game at FC Bayern München.

• Braga have come from behind to draw both of their Group F games to date, 1-1 at Bolton and 1-1 at home against Bayern.

• Aris boast an awesome home record in UEFA club competition, and are still unbeaten in 17 games in Salonika since making UEFA club competition debut in 1970. They did, however, lose home games in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the non-UEFA affiliated precursor to the UEFA Cup.

• The two sides have never met in UEFA club competition.

• Aris have played two games against Portuguese opposition, having been drawn against SL Benfica in the first round of the 1979/80 UEFA Cup. They won 3-1 at home and lost 2-1 in Lisbon to progress, and going on to reach the third round.

• Braga have played two games against Greek opposition too, meeting AEK Athens FC in the first round of the 1966/67 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They won the away leg 1-0 and then triumphed 3-2 at home. They were then knocked out in the second round.

• Aris defender Ronaldo Guiaro and Braga forward João Tomás were team-mates at Benfica up until the end of the 2001/02 season.

• Aris coach Dušan Bajević has been involved in eight games against Portuguese sides, or to be more specific, eight games against FC Porto.

• As a player, he scored twice as his AEK Athens FC side thrashed Porto 6-1 at home and lost 4-1 away in the 1978/79 European Champion Clubs' Cup.

• During his time as Olympiacos CFP coach, he was then paired with Porto in three successive UEFA Champions League group stage campaigns - 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/00.

• His side won all three home matches against Porto, drawing one away and losing the other two.

• He thus goes into the game against Braga having won all four of his previous home games against Portuguese opposition.

• Bajević celebrates his 59th birthday on 10 December, four days after the game against Braga.