Braga vs Austria Vienna – News and Probable Lineups

Braga is set to resume competitive play on Thursday as they host Áustria Vienna at Minho for the first leg of their Conference League playoff tie, following an illness outbreak that disrupted their preparations.

The Archbishops have successfully progressed past Zeleznicar Pancevo and Dinamo Minsk in previous rounds, while their Austrian opponents eliminated FK Liepaja and Beitar Jerusalem to reach this stage.

Match overview

Braga had a relatively smooth progression past Zeleznicar in the second qualifying round, yet Carlos Vicens’s team faced a tougher challenge against Dinamo Minsk in the following stage.

A narrow 1-0 win in the first leg at Minho left Braga with a slight advantage, which they successfully maintained in last week’s return match in Bulgaria, finishing the game in a goalless draw to advance.

However, that trip to Bulgaria seemed to come with repercussions, as a gastrointestinal infection later spread through the Braga squad, leading to the postponement of their Primeira Liga match against Gil Vicente over the weekend.

This situation meant that the Minho club had only three goalkeepers and seven outfield players available for that match, although medical staff have since worked diligently to contain the outbreak, and they are anticipated to be prepared for Thursday’s fixture.

Braga’s defensive unit has been particularly impressive throughout this season’s Conference League qualifying matches, keeping clean sheets in all four encounters while netting six goals.

The Portuguese outfit has also triumphed in nine of their last 11 European home games within the 90 minutes, providing ample motivation to feel confident about securing an advantage heading into the second leg.

In contrast, Áustria Vienna aims for their first appearance in the main phase of a continental tournament since qualifying for the Conference League group stage in the 2022-23 season, though their path to this playoff has not been straightforward.

Stephan Helm’s squad comfortably defeated Liepaja with a 5-1 aggregate score in the second qualifying round, yet they required penalties to surpass Beitar Jerusalem in the subsequent stage after losing 2-1 in the return match in Vienna, which negated their first-leg lead.

Responding to that setback, the Violets managed to secure their initial points in the new Austrian Bundesliga campaign this weekend, winning 2-0 against Hartberg thanks to strikes from Daniel Nnodim and Julian Hettwer.

This victory finally ended a stretch of losses in their opening two league fixtures, while Áustria Vienna has now recorded four competitive wins away from home this season, including both of their Conference League qualifying matches.

Team News

Currently, Braga is not reporting any new absences due to the gastrointestinal outbreak that led to the postponement of their encounter with Gil Vicente.

Nonetheless, they are expected to continue missing Sikou Niakhate, who is still recuperating from an Achilles issue, while Bright Arrey-Mbi remains doubtful after sustaining an injury against Moreirense on August 9.

Captain Ricardo Horta is one to watch, having directly contributed to five goals across four Conference League appearances this season, with three of those coming from the penalty spot.

Áustria Vienna could be without forwards Manprit Sarkaria and Noah Botic, who are recovering from significant knee and ankle injuries, respectively, although Aleksandar Dragovic is likely to return after missing the weekend victory over Hartberg due to suspension.

Helm made approximately seven adjustments for that win, with Vasilije Markovic and Manfred Fischer among those who could be reinstated to the starting XI after featuring as substitutes last weekend.

Braga probable starting XI:

Sources; Bajrami, Barcia, Lagerbielke, Gomez; Moutinho, Rodrigues, Tiknaz; Horta, Victor, Silva

Áustria Vienna probable starting XI:

Sahin-Radlinger; Nnodim, Dragovic, Feddersen, Schablas; Markovic, Maybach; Fischer, Hettwer, Wels; Boateng

This will mark the first competitive encounter between these teams, leaving little to analyze from previous meetings, but Braga’s outstanding home record in European competitions should provide them with an advantage in Minho despite the recent challenges caused by the illness outbreak.

Áustria Vienna has demonstrated sufficient resilience away from home to keep the match competitive, although the hosts are expected to have enough quality to secure a narrow win and take a slight edge into the return leg.