Football Season Guide

2023-24 was business as usual for Braga. They are the fourth force in the country for more than a decade and proved that once again in last season. However, this time they were a bit slower than in previous season, failing to mess up with the big-3 hierarchy and finishing closer to the 5th place than ever before in the last 7 seasons. For the new season, the main attraction is the new manager, Daniel Sousa. Sousa had a big impact with Arouca, last season and looks like the ideal pick to bring some attractive yet competitive football to Braga, on the new year. Sousa should employ a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation with Banza as the main reference in attack. The defense has been the biggest flaw of Braga in the last couple of years. And it seems it is going to continue like that. Niakaté and Serdar have been very irregular and Oliveira, while more consistent, is far from being the most talented centre-half in the country. The hot talent Bright is certainly a massive new signing for the future, but is he ready already to step into the XI? Bambu is also an important addition, but he has been injured much too frequently. For the midfield duo, Braga is well covered with Vítor Carvalho as an excellent cover for the duo Zalazar+Moutinho. For the three behind the striker, there are also many good options, especially if Ricardo Horta stays away from the injuries that bothered him last season. Djaló left, but the excellent duo Bruma and Roger Fernandes have now the competition of Spanish wizard Gabri Martinez and former Estoril creative João Marques. For the striker position, Banza is the main name, but he has been linked with many big teams in Europe. That was why Braga brought not one but two important names: Amine El Ouazzani and Roberto Fernandez. Abel Ruiz is gone, but he was never a consistent player during his 4 seasons with Braga.