Braga aims to halt Porto's perfect run
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A Portuguese regional derby moves to Ireland in tonight's Europa League final as Braga tries to thwart FC Porto's perfect season.
The Portuguese league clubs lie only about 50 kilometers apart but find themselves playing more than 1,300 kilometers away at the Dublin Arena for the top prize in the Europe's second-tier club competition.
Porto is vying for its eighth major international title and first since 2004 as it closes a spectacular season.
Coach Andre Villas-Boas guided Porto to the league title in his debut season, won the Portuguese Supercup and has a chance for another trophy in the Portuguese Cup final.
Counterpart Domingos Paciencia, meanwhile, takes charge of Braga for the last time in a bid to win the Arsenalistas' second ever trophy, and first since a 1955-56 cup title.
Braga certainly has its work cut out as it hasn't beaten Porto in nearly two years and is 0-2 in cup finals against its northern Atlantic coast neighbor. The pair were divided by 38 points as Porto surged into the final on the heels of its 27th victory in 30 league games to match Benfica's 1972-73 unbeaten season, while Braga stumbled to a 0-1 defeat against Sporting Lisbon which cost them third place.
"The preparation for the final will be the same thinking, working, all will stay the same," Porto goalkeeper Helton said. "We don't have to improve or stop doing something just because we reached the final. The goal is always the same."
Villas-Boas would be the youngest coach to win a UEFA club competition as the 33-year-old guides Porto to heights not seen since Jose Mourinho was in charge of the club. Villas-Boas is often likened to Mourinho, who he worked for as an assistant at Chelsea and Inter Milan.
Mourinho guided Porto to a Champions League trophy in 2004, a year after winning this same competition when it was known as the UEFA Cup.
Paciencia, a former Porto striker, has set 19 club records over the past two years and guided Braga past Liverpool, Benfica, Celtic, Sevilla and Arsenal on the path to the final.
"Porto have always had a very strong team, and right now Porto are a team that could do well in the Champions League. They are a club of the Champions League," Paciencia, who seems likely to coach Sporting Lisbon next season, told UEFA.com. "In a final, and given how the season has gone, it's natural that Porto are big favorites. But it's a final, it's just one match."
Braga goalkeeper Artur and centerbacks Paulao and Alberto Rodriguez will have the unenviable task of containing the ferocious front line of Radamel Falcao and Hulk, who have combined for 63 goals in European and Portuguese league play.
Hulk has been the leader of Porto's blockbuster season backed by his league-leading 23 goals, but Falcao's Europa League feats have also drawn attention.
