THE Sporting de Braga begins its first participation in the league phase of the Football Conference League today, with a visit to the Danish side Copenhagen, in a game on the opening day of the competition.
The team from Braga, the only Portuguese representative in the third UEFA competition, overcame two qualifying rounds and a play-off to reach the league stage, in which they made their debut and will play six matches.
Ahead of them will be Copenhagen, an opponent who was in the Champions League last season and who is the current leader of the Danish championship, while Sporting de Braga remains ninth in the Portuguese First League, with 11 points, but one game less, and is coming off a home defeat to Sporting (3-1).
Spanish coach Carlos Vicens was without central defender Niakaté, injured, and left winger Gabri MartÃnez out of the options due to personal problems.
This will be the first time that the two teams will meet, in a game that is scheduled for the Parken Stadium, in Copenhagen, at 8:00 pm (Lisbon time), and which will be refereed by Dutchman Joey Kooij.
The top eight classified in the league phase will qualify directly for the round of 16, while the teams classified between ninth and 24th place will compete in a play-off to access the next phase, with the rest being eliminated.
