Braga v Marseille background
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Article summary
Marseille have only won once in eight matches against Portuguese opponents, suggesting they may find the going tough away to a Braga team yet to concede a goal in Group F.
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Article body
SC Braga do not score many goals, but they are making a little go a long way as they welcome Olympique de Marseille in UEFA Europa League Group F.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
• Braga's only previous encounter with French opponents was a 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain – they drew 0-0 in Paris and lost the home leg 1-0.
• Marseille have won only once in eight games against Portuguese teams: W1 D2 L5 (W1 D1 L2 at home – W0 D1 L3 in Portugal). That sole victory was in the first of those fixtures – a 2-1 home success against SL Benfica in the 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.
Form guide
• Braga won their opening Group F contests 1-0 – they have managed only 15 goals in their last 16 European matches.
• Marseille's 3-0 triumph at FC Groningen on matchday one was their first victory in 11 continental games (D2 L8).
• Losing finalists in 2011 – when they transferred over at the end of the UEFA Champions League group stage – Braga have made it to the round of 32 in all four of their previous UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League group stage campaigns.
• Marseille have twice featured in this group stage – they advanced to the 2005/06 UEFA Cup round of 32 but missed the cut in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League.
Trivia and links
• The journey from Marseille to Braga is around 1,150km.
• Braga have French talent in the form of erstwhile AJ Auxerre centre-back Willy Boly. Marseille have a Portuguese player too – Cape Verde-born defender Rolando.
• Braga's Brazilian midfielder Alef was on loan with Marseille's B-team last season.
The coaches
• Appointed by Braga this summer, former defender Paulo Fonseca had a low-key playing career. Having made his name in the second division as boss of CD Aves, Fonseca twice coached FC Paços de Ferreira in the top division either side of a stint in charge of FC Porto, where he was once on the books as a player.
• Míchel replaced Marcelo Bielsa as Marseille coach in August 2015. A two-time UEFA Cup winner with Real Madrid CF in the 1980s, he has coached Getafe CF and Sevilla FC in his native Spain and came to France after leading Olympiacos FC to three successive Greek Super League titles.
