Celtic’s meeting with Braga will make for an interesting dugout comparison.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has over 800 games of experience, and is in his sixth season managing Celtic.
In the opposing camp is Carlos Vicens, the Spanish former Manchester City assistant who is in his first season of senior management.
The 42-year-old has faced a tough start to life in Portugal. In seven league matches, the side has just two victories, losing at home to CD Nacional on Saturday.
And ahead of facing the Hoops at Celtic Park, he has admitted one key decision he was forced into due to the threat of Rodgers’ side.
Braga boss Carlos Vicens admits Celtic adjustment
Celtic fans would potentially object to this, but Parkhead maintains something of an intimidating reputation in European football circles.
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And when discussing tonight’s match, Vicens admitted that the environment at Celtic Park had played a part in his precautionary decision to leave out Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo.
Asked about what he fears most about the Celtic team, Vicens said: “Moscardo had physical complaints, and as a precaution, we decided not to call him up.
“Celtic has its own style of play; it likes to impose itself. We’ll have to be good without the ball, but we know we can’t always be without it.
“We know the difficulty of the game, the stadium, the atmosphere, the opponent, but in Europe, we have to be at a high level to earn points.”
“We know Celtic has a very important European tradition. It’s true they lost the league lead, but the competition has only just begun.”
Holding midfielder Moscardo is on loan in Portugal from French giants PSG, who signed him for £17 million from Sao Paulo in 2024.
Which players do Celtic need to look out for from Braga?
Another star that the Hoops won’t need to worry about from Braga is teenage starlet Roger Fernandes, who completed a £28 million move to Al-Ittihad after the closure of the European transfer window.
This left Vicens light in attacking positions, but the reliable presence of captain Ricardo Horta will still be a threat. The 31-year-old creator has been at the club since 2016, and has 12 Portugal caps.
Amine El Ouazzani is the team’s main striker, whilst Uruguayan Rodrigo Zalazar is highly rated in the national team. Legendary midfielder Joao Moutinho is still going strong at the age of 39.
A name Hoops fans will certainly be familiar with is Gustaf Lagerbielke, who is likely to start after departing Glasgow after a forgettable spell this summer.
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