Gent v Braga background

Gent must avoid defeat to ensure they have something to play for on matchday six, while Braga know three points would mean a round of 32 spot as Group H runners-up behind section winners Shakhtar Donetsk.

Previous meetings
• André Pinto levelled for the home side as these teams drew 1-1 in Braga on matchday one in what was their first meeting in UEFA competition.

• Gent's only previous encounters with Portuguese opposition were against Sporting CP in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, where they crashed 5-1 in Lisbon but triumphed 3-1 at home two weeks later.

• Braga's record in five matches against Belgian clubs is W1 D3 L1 (D2 in Belgium).

Form guide
• Gent have conceded more goals than any other side in this season's group stage – 11, including ten against Shakhtar. They are the first team to ship five or more goals in a UEFA Europa League game on three occasions.

• Braga have not won in their last four European away fixtures (D1 L3), scoring just once during that run.

• Gent missed the cut in their sole previous UEFA Europa League group stage campaign, in 2010/11.

• Losing finalists in 2011, Braga have made it through all five of their preceding UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League campaigns.

Links and trivia
• The journey from Braga to Ghent is around 1,400km.

• Braga's Pedro Santos, Austria Wien's Felipe Pires and Villarreal's Pato were the most fouled players in the first four matchdays, with 14 infringements against each of them.

• Gent's Renato Neto and Braga's Wilson Eduardo came through the ranks together at Sporting; they were first-teamers together from 2009–14 though both spent the bulk of that time out on loan.

• Braga's Rui Fonte and Gent's Stefan Mitrović played together for Benfica's B team (2013–14).

• Gent's Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting 2009–10) and Anderson (Leixões 2012–14, Estoril 2014–16) have also played for Portuguese clubs.

The coaches
• Hein Vanhaezebrouck guided Gent to the Belgian title in 2014/15 and steered them into the UEFA Champions League round of 16 last season. He established his reputation during two periods in the dug-out of home-town club Kortrijk, for whom he had also played.

• José Peseiro returned for a second stint as Braga coach this summer, following a brief spell in charge at Porto. A lower-league forward, he was Carlos Queiroz's assistant at Real Madrid and later occupied the helms of Sporting, Panathinaikos and Rapid Bucureşti.