Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola knows Braga head coach Carlos Vicens very well.
Celtic face Braga in the second game of their Europa League on Thursday night, with plenty of tickets still available at Parkhead.
Vicens was only appointed in the summer but is already under pressure after Braga lost to Nacional at the weekend, which fans responded by waving white handkerchiefs.
Although the 42-year-old’s career hasn’t got off to the best start, he is still highly admired by Guardiola.
Pep Guardiola wanted to keep Carlos Vicens at Man City
The Braga manager was part of the Catalonian’s backroom staff for four years after rising through the ranks at Man City, initially working with the youth sides.
His time working with Guardiola coincided with an extremely successful period that saw the Citizens win the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Guardiola was a huge admirer of Vicens and reportedly wanted to make him his assistant manager for the 2025/26 season, only to lose him to Braga.
Before making the move to Portugal, Vicens had previously turned down offers to manage in England and the Netherlands.
He was eventually replaced by former Celtic defender Kolo Toure, who returned to the Etihad Stadium as a coach.
Carlos Vicens could be sacked by Braga
Taking your first steps into management is never easy and the Braga boss is learning that the hard way.
Currently, Vicens’ side are on a four-game winless streak and fans are beginning to turn.
As the fifth most successful club in Portugal, expectations are high amongst the Braga faithful and they sit seventh out of 18 teams.
A difficult fixture against Sporting CP follows after this weekend’s game, and failure to win either one could result in him looking for his new job.
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