Here's a very complete article on Braga taken from the piece "Five Dark Horses The European Giants Will Want To Avoid In Champions League Draw" from today's Goal.com
BRAGA
Nickname: Os Arsenalistas
Coach: Domingos Paciência
Paciencia is perhaps the pick of the exciting young coaches in the Portuguese game right now. The 41-year-old established his managerial credentials in fine spells at Leiria and Academica de Coimbra before pitching up in the Minho last summer.
Arguably the club's biggest transfer victory of the summer was holding onto the coach in the face of intense speculation linking him to the top jobs at Sporting and Porto, the latter club being where he made his name as player. A genuine presence on the touchline, Paciencia's charisma is only accentuated by his command of such an unstarry team. Remind you of any other Portuguese coaches?
How they got there
Via the very best season in the club's 89-year history. In any normal season, Braga would have taken the title (and become only the third team outside the big three of Porto, Benfica and Sporting to do so), but Benfica were simply irresistible, and Paciencia and company just couldn't hold them off in the final furlong. Despite finishing five points behind the Lisbon giants, Braga were in the hunt until the final weekend.
Style of play
Braga's success last year was built on a superb defence, and the central pair of Moises and the Peruvian Alberto Rodriguez will again be their bedrock. The system is usually a 4-3-2-1, with a well-strucured shape making them difficult to break down.
Their wide men, Alan and Paulo Cesar, both have pace to burn and allow Braga to counter-attack quickly. The re-signing of Luis Aguiar from Dynamo Moscow is another real boost, especially with the loss of Hugo Viana - Aguiar's excellent passing is the starting point for many breakouts. The imminent return of Mossoro from injury will add yet more quality in midfield.
Goal machine: Matheus
'Goal machine' might be stretching it for a player who hadn't reached double figures in his first 75 first-team appearances for the club, but the Brazilian has started this season with some aplomb, scoring in the league opener with Portimonense and netting vital strikes in both legs of the Champions League play-off with Sevilla to follow his piledriver against Celtic.
Braga spread the goals about the team rather than relying on one source - only Albert Meyong made double figures last term - and Matheus is not just a poacher, but a creator too, with his intelligent runs drawing defenders out of the middle. A useful, and improving, striker.
Youngster to watch: Elderson Echiejile
This 22-year-old Nigerian has been stymied in his efforts to progress for club and country thus far, making only 19 appearances in three years at Rennes and blocked from the Nigeria side by the talismanic Taye Taiwo.
He has gone straight in at the deep end in northern Portugal, replacing the departed (and popular) Brazilian Evaldo at left-back but has responded well, despite a pair of tough examinations by the brilliant Jesus Navas. Willing to learn and improve.
How far will they go?
They have the relative fortune of being in Pot 3 for the draw, avoiding the likes of Tottenham, Ajax, Schalke and Spartak Moscow. This is the least Braga deserve - the re-formatting of the qualifying rounds left them with four tough games, a poor reward for their season of toil and achievement. That the Portuguese side surmounted that shows that they possess remarkable spirit, and high quality too.
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