Europa League quarter-final first leg: Braga vs Real Betis facts

The UEFA Europa League quarter-finals pit Braga against Real Betis for the first time, with the sides contesting the first leg in Portugal.

Braga recovered from a first-leg loss in Budapest to win 4-2 on aggregate against Ferencváros in the round of 16 (0-2 a, 4-0 h). They had finished sixth in the league phase on 17 points with a record of W5 D2 L1.

Real Betis had the same points tally in the league phase but finished two places higher in fourth, and similarly recovered from a first-leg away defeat in the round of 16 to navigate their way past Panathinaikos (0-1 a, 4-0 h) and reach their first Europa League quarter-final.

Last match

This is the first meeting between the sides in UEFA competition.

Braga will be contesting their sixth fixture against a Spanish club, their most recent encounters being a pair of group stage defeats by Real Madrid in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League (1-2 h, 0-3 a).

The Portuguese side's last victory against Spanish opposition was a 4-3 triumph away to Sevilla in the second leg of the 2010/11 Champions League qualifying play-offs, which completed a 5-3 aggregate success – their only previous two-legged tie against a Spanish team.

Braga's record at home against Spanish teams is W1 L1, with two goals scored and two conceded.

Real Betis lost their first fixtures against Portuguese opponents – 1-2 both away and at home against Benfica in the 1982/83 UEFA Cup first round – but they are unbeaten in the four since, all against Vitória SC (W3 D1). They have won two of their three fixtures in Portugal, most recently triumphing 4-0 in Guimarães in the second leg of last season's UEFA Conference League round of 16 after a 2-2 home first-leg draw.

Braga

Braga are competing in the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the fourth time, and the first since 2021/22 when they were defeated 2-3 on aggregate by Rangers (1-0 h, 1-3 a aet).

The only time they advanced beyond the last eight was when they defeated Dynamo Kyiv on away goals in 2010/11 (1-1 a, 0-0 h). They went on to reach their only European final, losing 0-1 to Porto in an all-Portuguese contest in Dublin.

Real Betis

Involved in European competition for the fifth successive season, Real Betis are contesting their maiden Europa League quarter-final, although they did twice reach the last eight of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – in 1977/78 and 1997/98.

Their best European campaign, however, came last season when they reached the final of the Conference League, losing 1-4 to Chelsea in Wroclaw despite leading until the 65th minute.

Key stats

Braga have won their last seven two-legged European ties.

The Portuguese outfit have lost only two of their last 17 European matches (W12 D3).

Braga have won nine of their last ten home games in Europe (L1), keeping eight clean sheets.

The Portuguese Liga club have played more fixtures in the Europa League era, Matchday 1 to final, than any other club; this is their 98th game in the competition proper.

Betis have lost only three of their last 17 European matches (W9 D5).

The Spanish side have won their last six two-legged ties in UEFA competition.