In round 14 of the Primeira Liga on Friday, Braga and Benfica will square off at the Estadio Braga Municipal for the final time this season.
The team led by Roger Schmidt, who recently experienced a shocking Taca da Liga group-stage exit, will be hoping to quickly forget their disappointing cup run and end the year on a high note.
Benfica have won 12 and drawn one of their 13 Primeira Liga games this season, while Braga have lost their last two home league games without scoring.
Benfica is not likely to pass up the chance to defeat an underperforming Sporting Braga team at the Quarry on Friday.
The Arsenalistas had a brilliant start to the season and looked like they might break into the top three, but Sporting Lisbon has closed the gap thanks to three losses in their last six league games. Two of those three defeats came at the hands of Chaves and Casa Pia, two mid-table teams with some ability but lacking in comparison to Benfica’s wealth of talent.
Last week’s 1-1 Taca da Liga draw with Moreirense marked Roger Schmidt’s team’s return to competitive play, and as a result, they were eliminated from that competition.
But after streaking clear at the Primeira Liga summit and finishing top of a tough Champions League group featuring PSG and Juventus, they clearly have bigger fish to fry.
Joao Mario, a star left-sided player for Benfica who recently overcame a foot injury, will be available, but David Neres might not. Several of the Eagles’ players are currently the subject of offers, but it appears likely that Enzo Fernandez will leave before Goncalo Ramos’ stay in Lisbon is over.
Ramos’ round-of-16 hat-trick against Switzerland improved his reputation, and he is an obvious candidate to score given that he has eight goals in his last six starts for club and country.
In conclusion, Braga has little chance of holding Benfica, who have won 12 of their 13 league games this season, as mentioned before!
1×2 Betting Odds
Braga may have had a chance to win this game, but their humiliating loss to Sporting CP is likely to have destroyed their confidence.
The Braga players are likely to feel a great deal of fear as a result, while Benfica players may feel the opposite.
With four victories in the previous six meetings, Braga has surprisingly been able to defeat Benfica in many of the most recent games. Benfica, though, should be able to win this match!
And the betting market agrees!
Braga, who is playing at home, are not the favourites to win this one with odds @ 4.90.
Benfica for all their star quality are the favourites to win this with odds @ 1.76.
The possibility of a stalemate and points shared according to the market stands @ 4.20.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals score will be over 2.5, stands @ 1.78.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 2.16.
So the market expects around 3 goals in this one, with victory for the away side!
