Braga are set to continue their pre-season preparations when they lock horns with Cardiff City in a friendly at the Municipal de Lagos on Wednesday evening.
The Portuguese side have already played two friendly matches, winning both, while Cardiff have won three and drawn one of their four friendlies up to this point.
Match preview
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Braga had a solid season in the Primeira Liga last season, finishing in third place, just nine points behind title-winners Benfica, meaning they have qualified for the qualification rounds of the Champions League.
The Archbishops have never won the league title in Portugal, but their performances last season proved they are not too far off competing with the likes of Benfica and FC Porto at the top end of the table.
Artur Jorge's side had a very strong end to the campaign, collecting 23 points from their final 10 league games, while also progressing to the final of the Taca de Portugal, but they ultimately came up short, losing 2-0 against Porto in Lisbon.
Jorge can still look back on the season as very promising, however, and his side have started pre-season in the best possible fashion, with two wins already on the board.
Braga defeated Torreense 4-0 in their first friendly match, before running out 2-0 winners against Boavista last time out, with Simon Banza and Al Musrati getting on the scoresheet.
Cardiff's 2022-23 season was not quite as promising, finishing 21st in the Championship, just five points above the relegation zone, and they will be hoping they are not drawn into the relegation battle at all in the upcoming campaign.
The Bluebirds made a managerial change in the summer, with Erol Bulut being appointed as a replacement for Sabri Lamouchi, and the 48-year-old has already overseen four matches at the helm of his new club.
Bulut's side have won three and drawn one of their four friendly matches up to this point, with the two most recent of those games coming against Bristol Rovers, in what were only 60-minute matches.
Cardiff recorded a 2-1 victory against Bristol Rovers last time out, having fielded a very young team, and they are set for their first real test of pre-season when they come up against Braga for the first time ever on Wednesday evening.
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Team News
Braga have been fairly busy in the transfer market, having completed a permanent move for Bruma, and the former Fenerbahce man is set to get the nod at left-wing, while new arrivals Vitor Carvalho and Rodrigo Zalazar could get game time in the centre of midfield.
Sikou Niakate has also now completed a permanent move to the Estadio Municipal de Braga, and the 23-year-old could slot in at centre-back, with Adrian Marin potentially coming in at left-back, and Victor Gomez on the opposite side.
Aaron Ramsey has now returned to his boyhood club, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal, and the Welshman may be handed his first start, alongside Joe Ralls in the engine room.
Other arrivals for the Bluebirds include centre-back Dimitrios Goutas, left-winger Yakou Meite, as well as strikers Karlan Grant and Ike Ugbo.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Magalhaes; Sequeira, Oliveira, Gomez, Niakate; Horta, Al Musrati, Bruma, Djalo; Ruiz, Horta
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas; Romeo, Ramsey, Ralls, O'Dowda, Sawyers; Grant, Ugbo
We say: Braga 2-0 Cardiff City
It is difficult to gauge the level Cardiff are at heading into Wednesday's game, as they have mainly came up against lower-league opposition in all of their friendly matches up to this point.
As such, we expect the hosts to record a comfortable victory, considering they were one of the best teams in the Primeira Liga last season.
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Dominic Lund
