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Carvalhal looking forward to homecoming Besiktas coach Carlos Carvalhal will be going home when he takes the Black Eagles to Braga for the first leg of their Europa League last-32 clash.

The 46-year-old is a former player and coach of the Portuguese side and grew up in the town, something he admitted played on his mind when the draw was made.

"My house is not far from the Estadio Municipal de Braga," Carvalhal told www.uefa.com. "I can see it from my window.

"I had a strange feeling after the draw. At first I didn't want it, now I am looking forward to it. Braga is my home town and my old team, where I played for years. I will be playing a club I know very well." Besiktas became the first Turkish side to top a European qualifying group when they beat Stoke in December to win Group E.

But, hampered by injury problems, they have taken only one point from their last four Super Lig games and will be without midfielder Roberto Hilbert (hamstring) for both legs while Ismail Koybasi (groin) is a doubt.

Besiktas reached the same stage last season, but were thrashed 8-1 on aggregate by Dynamo Kiev, and Carvalhal knows they face another tough test against last season's beaten finalists.

"It won't be easy," he said. "Braga are a very strong team with big ambitions. However, they aren't the same team that reached the final and, above all, we are stronger than we were last term.

"Both sides' chances are very similar." Braga, beaten by Porto in the final last May, progressed to the last 32 by finishing second to Club Bruges in Group H, the fifth time in the last six seasons they have reached this stage.

Coach Leonardo Jardim is concentrating more on Carvalhal's players than the Braga native, telling a press conference: "We have no special precautions for Carvalhal because he is familiar with Portuguese football, but with the quality of our opponents.

Braga vs Besiktas

Last modified 20:12 14/02/12

Besiktas put Braga on brink Sporting Braga's hopes of repeating last year's run to the Europa League final were hanging by a thread after goals from Tomas Sivok and Simao gave Besiktas a 2-0 victory in the first leg in Portugal.

Helder Barbosa's first half sending-off for two bookable offences hindered the home side, who must now pull off an extraordinary recovery in the second leg in Turkey in order to book their place in the last 16.

Braga went into the game on a high on the back of nine straight wins which had lifted them to third in the Liga, with Hugo Viana bending a superb free-kick just over the bar and Barbosa firing wide.

Besiktas by contrast were without a win in their last four Super Lig outings but in Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal, who supported and briefly managed Braga and still lives in the city, they had expert insight.

The dangerous Ricardo Quaresma came close to giving the visitors a 15th-minute lead when he curled a long-range shot narrowly over the bar, and two minutes later a weak shot in the box let Braga off.

The game changed in a five minute spell beginning in the 23rd minute when Barbosa was booked for fouling Kavlak, and dismissed in the 28th minute for a repeat offence on Ibrahim Toraman.

Besiktas grabbed the lead 10 minutes before half-time after a sustained period of pressure, Manuel Fernandes flinging in his second consecutive corner and Sivok rising to head past Braga keeper Joaquim Silva.

Braga struggled to respond, with Custudio hitting a long-range effort over the bar, Ruben Amorim also firing wide from long range and Paulo Cesar bringing a comfortable save out of Cenk Gonen from 25 yards.

Egeman Korkmaz headed just over early in the second half for Besiktas but the visitors extended their lead in the 58th minute when Fernandes fed Simao and the forward struck home from 12 yards.

Silva saved Braga from going further behind five minutes from time when he tipped a Kavlak shot round the post, while Hugo Almeida's injury-time effort was blocked in the box by Ewerton.