Braga will host Estoril in an exciting upcoming matchup. Braga drew 1-1 with Union Berlin in their final Champions League match, with 53% possession and 18 shots, two of which were on target. The only goal for Braga was scored by Alvaro Diallo, who scored in the 51st minute of the match. On the other side, Union Berlin had six shots on goal, two of which were on target. Robin Goossens scored for United Berlin in the 42nd minute.
Recently, Braga have been shaky on defense, conceding in 5 of their last 6 matches for a total of 10 goals. We will see if this trend will be reversed in this tournament.
For this match, Braga has the advantage in the following points:
Braga are unbeaten in their last nine league games against Estoril, a long unbeaten run.
Braga are unbeaten in their last four home league games.
On the other hand, Estoril won their last match against Casa Pia with 4-0 in the Portuguese Superliga. In that match, Estoril had 57% of the possession and had 18 chances on goal, seven of which were on target. Players who scored included Alejandro Marques (1st minute), Rafik Gitane (24th minute), Rodrigo Gomes (69th minute) and Cassiano (95th minute). Casapia, on the other hand, had 11 shots on goal and three shots on goal.
Estoril head coach Vasco Seabra's side have scored a total of nine goals in their last six games, while conceding seven in those games**.
The past head-to-head record between the two teams shows that Estoril have struggled to win against Braga. Since October 1, 2017, there have been six meetings between the two teams, with Braga overwhelmingly dominating those matches, winning 83% of them.
A total of 21 goals have been scored in these encounters, with Braga contributing 20 and Estoril just one, an average of 3.5 goals being scored per game.
The last time the two teams faced each other in the Portuguese Superliga was in the 27th round of the competition, played on April 8, 2023, which ended 4-1 Estoril in Braga.
On the day, Braga had 66% possession of the ball and had 16 shots on goal, six of which were on target. Players who scored included Abel Ruiz (16th minute), Pizzi (70th minute), Yuri Medeiros (81st minute) and Josafat Mendes (94th minute).
Estoril had six shots on goal, three of which were on goal. Carlos Eduardo scored for Estoril in the 48th minute.
The head referee for the match was Vitor Ferreira.
Braga's head coach Artur Giorgio has a fully fit squad with no health concerns for this match. We think it's likely that Braga will go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a starting lineup that includes Mateusz, Josafat Mendes, Serdar Satchel, Siku Nyakat, Cristian Borja, Almusrati, João Motiño, Álvaro Diallo, Ricardo Horta, Bruguer, and Simón Banza.
As for Estoril, Vasco Seabra has a relatively healthy squad at his disposal, except for Eric Cavaco (knee injury) who will not play. We think Estoril may opt for a 3-4-3 formation, with a starting lineup that could include Marcelo Carne, Volnay, Pedro Alvaro, Bernardo Vital, Rodrigo Gomez, Jordan Holsgrove, Mateusz Fernandez, Thiago Araujo, Herry Tavares, Alejandro Marquez & Rafik Gitane.
