He real Madrid wanted to establish himself in the leadership of Group C of UEFA champions league during his visit this Tuesday to Braga Municipal Stadium, although the Portuguese are in high spirits after their spectacular comeback on the second day of the group stage against Union Berlin (23). These are the ten most notable data from the first official confrontation between the Lusos and the Merengues:
1. Braga have played only three previous games against Spanish teams, all against Sevilla. In the preview of the 2010-11 Champions League, Braga won at their stadium (1-0) and also in the second leg at Sánchez-Pizjuán (3-4), while in the 2006-07 Europa League group, The Portuguese fell 2-0 against the then reigning champion.
2. Runner-up in the Portuguese Cup last season and third in the Portuguese league in 2022/23, Nine points behind champions Benfica and seven behind Porto, Braga is in the UEFA Champions League for the third time in its history and the first time in 11 seasons.
3. This is Real Madrid’s first match against a Portuguese rival since the group stage of the 2016/17 seasonwhen they beat Sporting CP in Group F 2-1 at home and by the same result away.
4. With this latest result, the merengue team has three consecutive victories away from home against teams from the Portuguese league and four games without defeat since a 2-1 defeat at Porto, in the first group stage of the 1999/2000 Champions League.
5. This is Madrid’s 28th campaign in the Champions League group stage, a record he shares with Barcelona. The white team has qualified for the round 16 of their previous 27 campaigns.
6. Carlo Ancelotti faced Braga as coach of AC Milan in a group stage match of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. The Italian team won at San Siro 1-0 with a goal from Ronaldinho.
7. In total, the Italian coach has faced Portuguese teams nine times in UEFA club competitions, recording six wins, two draws and a single defeat.
8. Aurélien Tchouaméni faced Braga twice when he was a Monaco player. It is in the round of 16 of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League. The Portuguese team won the first leg in Portugal 2-0, with a goal from Abel Ruiz and another from Vitinha, and managed to overcome the tie by winning 1-1 in the second leg thanks to another goal from the Spanish striker.
9. Real Madrid have lost eight of their last 24 Champions League games away from home, with eight victories, while they have lost four of the last ten. The whites have won ten of their last 12 games in the group stage of the top continental club competition (D1 L1).
10. Real Madrid have won ten of their 12 games in all competitions this season, has scored 25 goals and conceded nine. Their only defeat this season was a 3-1 derby against Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga on September 24.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
