A profile of SC Braga

Austria Vienna are set to face the historic Portuguese club SC Braga in the UEFA Conference League play-off. The first leg takes place on Thursday at 9.00 pm CEST at the stunning Estádio Municipal de Braga. We take a closer look at the Violets’ opponents – featuring, amongst others, Austria legend Roli Linz, who looks back on his time at SC Braga.

Austria legend Roli Linz, who won a total of five titles with the ‘Violets’ and was part of the squad for all three of Austria’s most recent league titles (2002/03, 2005/06, 2012/13), also enjoyed a successful spell at SC Braga. From the summer of 2007 to January 2009, Linz played up front for the Portuguese side, scoring 20 goals in 51 matches.

“I have fond memories of my time in Braga; it was a successful period for me. In the league, we were in the top third of the table; we went far in the UEFA Cup; and I scored a lot of goals, particularly in international competitions,” says Roli Linz. He has continued to follow the progress of the Guerreiros do Minho (“Warriors of Minho” – named after the region in northern Portugal) even after his time at Braga:

“I still know the president; he’s the same one as back then (note: António Salvador has been in office since 2003). The club has developed significantly in recent years. I’ve heard that SC Braga recently opened a new training complex – the facilities there are absolutely state-of-the-art. Braga are among the top four teams in Portugal. On paper, they’re obviously the clear favourites – it’ll be a very tough task for us on Thursday,” says Linz.

Three players in the spotlight: Pau Víctor, Ricardo Horta and João Moutinho

The SC Braga squad is packed with numerous top players. Transfermarkt.at estimates the total value of the squad at over 150 million euros.

Striker Pau Víctor moved from FC Barcelona to Braga in the summer of 2025. The Spaniard made 29 appearances for the Catalans during the 2024/25 season. At SC Braga, the now 24-year-old demonstrated his goalscoring prowess last season: across all competitions, he scored 17 goals, making him his club’s third-highest goalscorer. Only Rodrigo Zalazar (23 goals, who moved to Sporting in the summer for 30 million euros) and Ricardo Horta (21 goals) scored more frequently.

Ricardo Horta has been captain of SC Braga for five years. The 31-year-old left winger has been with the club for nine years. In 483 matches, he has scored 162 goals and provided 96 assists for the Guerreiros. Arguably the best-known name in the SC Braga squad is João Moutinho. With 146 caps for Portugal, the now 39-year-old sits second in A Seleção’s all-time rankings behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Moutinho has played for clubs including Sporting, FC Porto, AS Monaco and Wolverhampton, and has been under contract with SC Braga for three years. The player with 146 caps was still a regular starter last season as well.

Head coach Vicens learnt under Pep Guardiola

The 43-year-old Spaniard Carlos Vicens has been head coach of SC Braga for just over a year. From 2021 to 2025, he spent four years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach at Manchester City. In his first season as head coach of a professional team, Vicens led Braga to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

In the Portuguese league, Braga finished fourth behind the top three teams – FC Porto, Sporting and Benfica – and thus qualified ‘only’ for the Conference League this time round. The reason for this was that second-tier side SC União Torreense pulled off a surprise victory in the Portuguese Cup, thereby securing a European place for themselves.

This season, SC Braga, just like Austria Vienna, began their European campaign in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The Portuguese side comfortably beat Serbian club FK Železničar Pančevo (1–0 away, 4–0 at home). In the third qualifying round against Dinamo Minsk from Belarus, Braga won the home match 1–0; in the return leg, a goalless draw was enough to secure their place in the play-offs.

In the league, Braga began with a 2–2 draw at Moreirense FC. Last Sunday’s home match against Gil Vicente had to be postponed at short notice after too few SC Braga players were fit to play due to a gastrointestinal virus.

“There’s no other stadium like this in the whole of Europe”

SC Braga’s home ground, the Estádio Municipal de Braga, is one of the most extraordinary football stadiums in Europe. Built directly into a former quarry for UEFA EURO 2004, SC Braga’s home ground is striking for its spectacular architecture: two stands face each other, whilst on one side a massive rock face forms the boundary of the stadium. The arena can accommodate around 30,000 spectators:

“It’s a very special stadium; there’s certainly nothing else like it in Europe. It’s built directly into the rock, and on the long sides – each with 15,000 seats – the stands rise very steeply and high – that’s impressive and also creates a very special atmosphere on the pitch and in the stadium,” explains Austria legend Roli Linz, who fondly recalls the home matches in Braga.