Braga host Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night at the Estadio Municipal.

Both sides are enjoying solid campaigns and they will fancy their chances of reaching the last four.

Braga

© Getty Images

Although Braga come into this tie on the back of a disappointing 5-1 defeat at the hands of Primeira leaders Benfica on Friday, Paulo Fonseca's side are still comfortably fourth in Portugal's top flight and on for another European finish.

They are in the last eight after finishing top of Group F and then coming past Sion and Fenerbahce in the first two knockout rounds.

Last time out against Fener, Braga lost the opening leg 1-0 in Turkey but resoundingly responded at home with a 4-1 victory to convincingly reach the quarters.

The first-leg defeat was one of three defeats in Braga's last five matches after an unbeaten two-month stretch of 15 games in all competitions between January and March.

The Archbishops are unbeaten in all five of their Europa League home matches this season (winning four and drawing one). However, Fonseca's men have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 European matches on home soil.

This is the second time that Braga have reached the quarter-final stage of the Europa League. In 2010-11 they eventually lost in the final to fellow Portuguese side Porto.

Recent Europa League form: WDWDLW
Recent form (all competitions): WLLWWL

Shakhtar

© Getty Images

While Braga suffered a big defeat in the league over the weekend, Shakhtar enter this match on the back of an 8-1 thumping of Metalist Kharkiv on Friday.

Mircea Lucescu's outfit are second in the Ukrainian Premier League, three points behind Dynamo Kiev, and will be full of confidence given their performances to reach the quarters.

They disappointed in the group stage of the Champions League, only qualifying for the Europa League in third thanks to their superior head-to-head record against Swedish side Malmo, but they have scored freely in their knockout victories over Schalke 04 (3-0 on aggregate) and Anderlecht (4-1).

In fact, the Ukrainian side have won their last three European matches after a 0-0 draw in the opening leg against Schalke - their best run in Europe since March 2011 (five wins).

Of the eight teams that transferred over to the competition at the end of the Champions League group stage, only Shakhtar and Sevilla – the winners of the Europa League the last two years – remain in contention.

This will be Shakhtar's first quarter-final appearance in a European competition since the 2010-11 Champions League, when they were knocked out by Barcelona.

They last reached the quarter-finals of this competition in 2009, going on to win the last-ever edition of the UEFA Cup before it became the Europa League.

Recent Europa League form: DLDWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWLW

Team News

© Getty Images

Lucescu has several problems to deal with for the visitors, but Taison is expected to shake off a knock and start in attacking midfield.

Fred and Olexandr Kucher are both suspended, while Marcio Azevedo is out with a knee injury and Yaroslav Rakitskiy and Vyacheslav Shevchuk join Taison in being rated as doubtful.

Braga will be without Crislan and Rui Fonte – both stricken with hamstring problems – while Josue is doubtful with a thigh injury.

Ahmed Hassan and Nikola Stojiljkovic are set to lead the attack in a 4-4-2 formation.

Braga possible starting lineup:
Magalhaes; Baiano, Boly, Pinto, Goiano; Alan, Mauro, Vukcevic, Rafa; Hassan, Stojiljkovic

Shakhtar possible starting lineup:
Pyatov; Srna, Krivtsov, Rakitskiy, Ismaily; Stepanenko, Malyshev; Marlos, Kovalenko, Taison; Ferreyra

Head To Head

These two were pitted against each other in the group stages of the 2010-11 Champions League and Shakhtar came out on top both home and away.

The Ukrainian side won 3-0 in Portugal on their only previous visit to the Estadio Municipal de Braga before also keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 success at home.

None of the last nine European fixtures between Portuguese and Ukrainian clubs has been won by the team from Portugal (five Ukrainian wins, four draws).

We say: Braga 1-1 Shakhtar

These two could produce a ton of goals over two legs, but given the quarter-final nature of the tie it might be cagier than expected. There does not seem to be much separating the duo.

Previews by email