Overview
15 years after losing to FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League final, SC Braga is preparing to enter the second largest European semi-final in history, after defeating Real Betis with a total score of 5-3 in the quarterfinals.
The Portuguese representative has won 7 of 12 matches in this season's tournament (3 draws, 2 losses), including 5 wins in the group stage and a 4-0 victory over Ferencvarosi in the round of 16.
Under the leadership of Carlos Vicens - former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City - Braga made a strong impression with 7 clean sheets, the best record in the league. However, unstable form in Primeira Liga caused them to fall behind in the top 3 race.
The 1-2 defeat to Santa Clara last weekend caused Braga to be 16 points behind Sporting CP when the season is only 3 rounds away. Therefore, the Europa League becomes a priority target, especially when they are unbeaten in 4 home matches against German opponents (3 wins, 1 draw).
In the opposite direction, Freiburg participated in the semi-finals of a major tournament in Europe for the first time, after making clear progress under coach Julian Schuster.
The Bundesliga team finished the group stage with 17 points, equal to Braga, before overcoming Genk (5-2) and Celta Vigo (6-1). The victory over Celta was described by Schuster as a historic moment, and he expects the team to maintain focus in the decisive stage.
However, Freiburg's domestic form is declining. They successively lost to Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals and lost 0-4 to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, thereby falling to eighth place.
Freiburg's away record in the Europa League is also not very impressive, with only 2 wins in the last 9 matches (3 draws, 4 losses), and no goals in 3/4 recent matches.
The last time Freiburg played in Portugal was in the 2013-2014 season, when they drew 0-0 with Estoril Praia. A similar result against Braga in the first leg can be considered acceptable before returning home for the second leg.
Personnel situation
Braga will not have the services of Diego Rodrigues (ankle injury), Sikou Niakate (Achilles tendon) and Adrian Leon Barisic (capillary muscle). Florian Grillitsch's case is still open after the injury suffered in the match against Santa Clara.
Midfielder Gabriel Moscardo - a player loaned to Paris Saint-Germain - will be absent due to suspension. In that context, Leonardo Lelo or Paulo Oliveira may be used in the 3-man defense, alongside Gustaf Lagerbielke and Vitor Carvalho.
In attack, Rodrigo Zalazar - the team's top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions - is likely to start alongside Pau Victor and captain Ricardo Horta, who has 4 goals in the UEFA Europa League this season.
On the opposite side, Freiburg is missing Patrick Osterhage due to a prolonged knee injury from the end of March, while Max Rosenfelder is still in the process of recovering from a hamstring injury.
Jordy Makengo was absent from the defeat to Dortmund due to a thigh injury and his ability to play is still unclear. In case of necessity, Christian Gunter will continue to take on the left-back position.
In attack, Vincenzo Grifo is Freiburg's number one scorer this season with 13 goals, and also shares the top scorer position in the Europa League (4 goals) with Yuito Suzuki. Both are likely to start alongside Niklas Beste and center forward Igor Matanovic.
Expected lineup:
Hornicek, Lagerbielke, Carvalho, Leonardo Lelo, Gomez, Gorby, Grillitsch, Martinez, Zalazar, Victor, Horta.
Atubolu, Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo, Eggestein, Manzambi, Beste, Suzuki, Grifo, Matanovic.
The match between Braga and Freiburg takes place at 2:00 AM on May 1st (Vietnam time).
