Preview: Braga vs Dinamo Minsk - prediction, team news, lineups

Braga continue their Conference League campaign on Thursday when they welcome Dinamo Minsk to the Estadio Municipal de Braga for the first leg of their third qualifying round tie.

The Portuguese hosts eased past Serbian outfit Zeleznicar Pancevo 5-0 on aggregate in the previous round, while the Belarusian visitors edged past Neftci Baku 4-3 across two legs to reach this stage.

Match preview

Even though Braga were made to work hard in the first-leg victory over Zeleznicar, few would have doubted the Archbishops' ability to finish the job in Minho, and the return fixture ultimately proved a routine assignment.

Carlos Vicens's side took the lead in the 21st minute through Ricardo Horta's penalty before Gabriel Silva doubled the advantage, and although the former missed another spot-kick after the hour, Pau Victor converted the rebound before Fran Navarro completed the rout late on to seal a 4-0 win.

That victory extended Braga's unbeaten run to seven matches (D1), four of those triumphs coming during pre-season, while it also secured the Minho club consecutive competitive victories for the first time since April, having ended 2025-26 with a four-match winless run.

That sequence included draws in each of their final three league fixtures of the campaign, which saw Vicens's men finish fourth in the Primeira Liga table and secure a place in the Conference League qualifiers, ending a run of seven successive seasons featuring in the main stage of either the Champions League or Europa League.

Even so, Braga will fancy their chances of taking control of this tie, having won eight of their last 10 European home matches inside 90 minutes, while scoring 11 goals and conceding only once across their most recent three continental qualifier outings in Minho.

Meanwhile, Dinamo Minsk will draw confidence from the fact that their away performances have been decisive throughout this season's qualifying campaign.

The Belarusian outfit overturned a first-leg deficit against FK Sileks in the opening round before progressing on penalties in North Macedonia, though their route through the second qualifying phase followed a different pattern.

Alyaksandr Shahoyka's side laid the foundations with a 4-2 victory away to Neftci Baku before surviving a nervy return leg at Stadion Beroe (neutral venue), where they suffered a 1-0 defeat after conceding in the 12th minute but still advanced on aggregate.

Those losses to Neftci and Sileks remain the White-Blues' only defeats across their last 12 matches in all competitions, highlighting the resilience they have shown during that period, which also includes a 3-0 victory away to city rivals FC Minsk in their most recent league outing.

Currently two points clear at the top of the Belarusian Premier League table, Dinamo Minsk appear well placed to reclaim the title they surrendered last season, while also targeting a return to the Conference League proper after featuring in the league phase during the 2024-25 campaign.

Braga Conference League form:

Dinamo Minsk Conference League form:

Dinamo Minsk form (all competitions):

Team News

Braga appeared to come through last week's second-leg victory without any fresh injury concerns, although defender Sikou Niakate remains sidelined with the Achilles injury he suffered in April.

Vicens made three changes from the side that started the first leg, handing summer signings Gabriel Silva, Denis Huseinbasic and Bernardo Fontes their first competitive starts for the club.

Silva strengthened his case to retain his place after opening his Braga account against Zeleznicar, while Fontes is expected to continue in goal following Lukas Hornicek's move to Newcastle United, though Huseinbasic could make way for Diego Rodrigues in midfield.

Dinamo Minsk head coach Shahoyka made just one alteration between the two legs against Neftci Baku, and it remains to be seen whether Artem Sokolovskiy keeps his place in midfield or Aleksey Zhechko returns to the starting lineup.

Karen Vardanyan is expected to spearhead the attack once again, with the 22-year-old aiming to build on his impressive away display in Azerbaijan, having scored a brace net in the first leg clash with Neftci.

The visitors will once again be without winger Ivan Bakhar, who has been sidelined since March with a hamstring injury.

Braga possible starting lineup:

Fontes; Gomez, Barcia, Carvalho, Arrey-Mbi; Moutinho, Gorby, Rodrigues; G Silva, P Víctor, Horta

Dinamo Minsk possible starting lineup:

Shimakovich; Gurban, Ivanov, Kalinin, A Toure; Selyava, Zhechko, Abdullahi; Djimet, Vardanyan, Malashevich

We say: Braga 3-0 Dinamo Minsk

Dinamo Minsk's away exploits in this season's Conference League qualifiers deserve credit, but they now face a Braga side with greater quality, stronger European pedigree and an outstanding home record in continental competition.

The Portuguese outfit have been particularly ruthless on their own turf in qualifying matches, and we expect Vicens's men to take a commanding first-leg advantage into next week's return fixture.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.