UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2017/18 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estádio Municipal de Braga - Braga Thursday 19 October 2017 21.05CET (20.05 local time) SC Braga Group C - Matchday 3 PFC Ludogorets 1945 Last updated 30/08/2018 16:35CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Team facts 4 Squad list 6 Fixtures and results 8 Match-by-match lineups 11 Match officials 14 Legend 15 1 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams SC Braga - Record versus clubs from opponents' country SC Braga have not played against a club from their opponents' country PFC Ludogorets 1945 - Record versus clubs from opponents' country PFC Ludogorets 1945 have not played against a club from their opponents' country 2 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Match background UEFA Europa League Group C leaders Braga will seek to extend their continental winning streak to six games as they welcome a Ludogorets side short of away success. Previous meetings • The clubs are meeting for the first time; neither has previously played a team from their opponents' home country. • Portuguese sides have had the better of the 16 UEFA club competition encounters with Bulgarian clubs: W9 D5 L2. • Ludogorets will look to become the first Bulgarian team to win a UEFA club competiton game in Portugal (D1 L7). Form guide • Unbeaten in six European matches this season, Braga are on a five-game winning streak in the UEFA Europa League. • Ludogorets are undefeated in five European matches (W3 D2), but are without a win in nine UEFA away games (D6 L3). • Fifth in Portugal last term, and runners-up in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League, Braga are competing in this group stage for the third straight season. • Bulgarian champions Ludogorets got to the round of 16 in their only previous UEFA Europa League group stage campaign of 2013/14 – and played in last season's round of 32 after transferring from the UEFA Champions League. Trivia and links • The journey from Razgrad to Braga is around 2,850km. • The fixture is taking place the day after Braga midfielder Fransérgio's 27th birthday. • Misses next match if booked: Raúl Silva (Braga). The coaches • At the helm since April 2017, Abel Ferreira was previously Braga's B team coach. A right-back, he graduated from home-town side Penafiel to Vitória Guimarães, Braga and Sporting CP, where he won two Portuguese Cups before retiring in 2011. • Hired in summer 2017, Ludogorets boss Dimitar Dimitrov established his coaching reputation at home-town club Neftochimik Burgas and landed Bulgarian titles with Litex Lovech and Levski Sofia, later coaching in Russia and Kazakhstan. 3 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Team facts SC Braga Formed: 1921 Nickname: Os Arsenalistas (The Arsenal fans) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Europa League: (2011) • UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 2008 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) Portuguese Cup: 2 (2016) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2016/17: group stage 2015/16: quarter-finals 2014/15: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2013/14: play-offs 2012/13: UEFA Champions League group stage 2011/12: round of 32 2010/11: runners-up (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2009/10: third qualifying round 2008/09: round of 16 2007/08: round of 32 Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 5-0: Braga v Hibernians 13/09/78, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Biggest away win 1-3: Birmingham City v Braga 15/09/11, UEFA Europa League group stage 0-2: Artmedia Petržalka v Braga 02/10/08, UEFA Cup first round second leg 0-2: Galatasaray v Braga 02/10/12, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Braga v Shakhtar Donetsk 28/09/10, UEFA Champions League group stage 0-3: Braga v Tottenham Hotspur 19/09/84, UEFA Cup first round first leg • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Arsenal v Braga 15/09/10, UEFA Champions League group stage 6-0: Tottenham Hotspur v Braga 03/10/84, UEFA Cup first round second leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 5-0: Braga v Hibernians (see above) • Biggest away win 1-3: Birmingham City v Braga (see above) 0-2: Artmedia Petržalka v Braga (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Braga v Tottenham Hotspur (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Tottenham Hotspur v Braga (see above) FC Ludogorets Razgrad 4 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Formed: 1945 Nickname: The Eagles from Razgrad UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • None Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) League title: 6 (2017) Bulgarian Cup: 2 (2014) Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2016/17: round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage) 2015/16: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2014/15: UEFA Champions League group stage 2013/14: round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League play-offs) 2012/13: UEFA Champions League second qualifying round 2011/12: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2010/11: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2008/09: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2007/08: did not take part in UEFA club competition Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 4-0: Ludogorets v F91 Dudelange 16/07/14, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round first leg Biggest away win 0-3: Mladost Podgorica v Ludogorets 19/07/16, UEFA Champions League second qualifying round second leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Ludogorets v Valencia 13/03/14, UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg • Heaviest away defeat 6-0: Arsenal v Ludogorets 19/10/16, UEFA Champions League group stage UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League • Biggest home win 3-0: Ludogorets v Dinamo Zagreb 03/10/13, group stage • Biggest away win 0-2: PSV Eindhoven v Ludogorets 19/09/13, group stage • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Ludogorets v Valencia (see above) • Heaviest away defeat 1-0: Valencia v Ludogorets 20/03/14, round of 16 second leg 5 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga Squad list SC Braga Current season All-time QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Matheus BRA 29/03/1992 25 - 4 - 2 - 8 - 18 - 22 - 12 Tiago Sá POR 11/01/1995 22 - - - - - - - - - - - 25 André Moreira POR 02/12/1995 21 - - - - - - - - - - - 73 Ricardo Velho POR 20/08/1998 19 - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 3 Lazar Rosić SRB 29/06/1993 24 - 2 - 1 - 6 - 7 - 9 - 4 Jefferson BRA 05/07/1988 29 - 4 - - - 4 - 5 - 14 1 5 Nuno Sequeira POR 19/08/1990 27 - - - 2 - 4 - 2 - 2 - 24 Ricardo Ferreira POR 25/11/1992 24 - - - 1 - - - 10 1 10 1 34 Raúl Silva BRA 04/11/1989 27 * 4 2 2 - 5 1 2 - 6 2 36 Bruno Viana BRA 05/02/1995 22 - 2 - - - 5 - 3 - 5 - 47 Ricardo Esgaio POR 16/05/1993 24 - 4 - 2 - 5 1 6 - 12 - 87 Marcelo Goiano BRA 13/10/1987 30 - - - 2 - 5 - 18 - 18 - 97 Lucas Cunha BRA 23/01/1997 20 - - - - - - - - - - - Midfielders 10 Bruno Xadas POR 02/12/1997 19 - 4 - 1 - 7 2 1 - 5 - 11 Danilo BRA 28/02/1996 21 - 4 - 2 - 8 1 6 - 15 - 15 André Horta POR 07/11/1996 20 - - - 1 - 2 - 1 - 3 - 16 Robert Murić CRO 12/03/1996 21 - - - - - - - - - - - 23 João Carlos POR 18/01/1993 24 - - - 2 1 4 - 3 1 3 1 27 Fransérgio BRA 18/10/1990 27 - 4 - 2 1 8 - 2 1 6 1 35 Nikola Vukčević MNE 13/12/1991 25 - 3 - 2 - 7 - 19 1 26 2 46 Mamadou Loum Ndiyae SEN 30/12/1996 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 74 Francisco Moura POR 16/08/1999 18 - - - - - - - - - - - 96 Francisco Pedro Tiago Silva POR 14/02/1998 19 - - - - - - - - - - - Forwards 9 Ahmed Hassan EGY 05/03/1993 24 - 3 - 2 1 6 3 24 6 31 7 20 Paulinho POR 09/11/1992 24 - 2 3 2 - 8 1 2 - 4 3 21 Ricardo Horta POR 15/09/1994 23 - 3 - 1 - 6 2 6 1 9 1 26 Fábio Martins POR 24/07/1993 24 - 3 - - - 7 1 - - 3 - 77 Trincão Francisco POR 29/12/1999 17 - - - - - - - - - - - 91 Leandro Miguel Curto Antunes POR 28/07/1997 20 - - - - - - - - - - - 99 Dyego Sousa BRA 14/09/1989 28 - 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 Coach - Abel Ferreira POR 22/12/1978 38 - 4 - 2 - - - 2 - 6 - 6 SC Braga - PFC Ludogorets 1945 Thursday 19 October 2017 - 21.05CET (20.05 local time) Match press kit Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga PFC Ludogorets 1945 Current season All-time UCL QUAL UEL League UEL UEFA No. Player Nat. DoB Age D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Jorge Broun ARG 26/05/1986 31 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 4 - 2 - 6 - 24 Vasil Simeonov BUL 04/02/1998 19 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 Daniel Naumov BUL 29/03/1998 19 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33 Renan BRA 18/05/1989 28 - 1 - 1 - - - 8 - - - 2 - 90 Ivan Atanasov BUL 06/08/1999 18 - - - - - - - - - - - - - Defenders 2 Rafael Forster BRA 23/07/1990 27 - - - - - - - - - 6 1 6 1 4 Cicinho BRA 26/12/1988 28 - - - 2 - 2 - 9 - 2 - 8 - 5 Georgi Terziev BUL 18/04/1992 25 - 1 - 1 - - - 9 - 3 - 11 1 6 Natanael BRA 25/12/1990 26 - 4 1 2 - 2 - 10 1 4 - 22 2 19 Aleksandar Vasilev BUL 27/04/1995 22 - - - - - - - 4 - - - 3 - 23 Ventsislav Kerchev BUL 02/06/1997 20 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 Cosmin Moţi ROU 03/12/1984 32 - 4 -