Carlos Vicens’ coaching career was forged at Manchester City, where the Mallorcan progressed from a work experience placement to coaching the under-12 and under-13 squads. His impressive work as under-18 coach earned him a promotion to Pep Guardiola’s first-team staff in 2021. After four years working under Guardiola, Vicens sought a head coaching position and was appointed by Braga following the departure of Carlos Carvalhal.
His tenure began with a tentative start in the Europa League qualifiers, securing a goalless draw away to Levski Sofia before a narrow extra-time victory at home. Momentum soon built with a 4-1 aggregate win over Cluj and two dominant 3-0 victories to open the league season.
While Braga comfortably navigated the play-off round against Lincoln Red Imps, their form began to falter. A surprising home draw against AVS—a result that remains the bottom club’s only point of the season—marked the start of a downturn. Braga have not won in the four league games since, losing both home fixtures and drawing the frustration of their supporters.
It is in this context that they arrive at Celtic Park. In their only previous visit in August 2010 for a Champions League qualifier, Braga lost 2-1, though a 3-0 first-leg victory ensured they advanced. That season, a third-place finish in their Champions League group led to their best-ever European campaign, as they dropped into the Europa League and reached the final, only to be beaten by Porto.
More recently, their 2022 Europa League run was ended by Rangers in the quarter-finals. Last season, despite victories over Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hoffenheim, and Lazio, they narrowly missed the knockout phase, finishing 25th and just one goal behind Fenerbahce. In another recent campaign, their away form proved a weakness, as they collected just a single point on their travels while losing to Olympiacos, Roma, and Union St. Gilloise.
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