This is a match taking place in the Portuguese Top Tier Division and it is the 14th Primera Liga match between Benfica and Braga taking place at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (da Luz), home ground to SL Benfica. The host Benfica are considered the favourite to win this game due to the fact that the home team has 6 wins, 1 draw in their last 7 matches played against the guest Braga and again the home team Benfica are comin' from a series of 6 straight wins in all competition, without conceding a single goal(including the Champions League). The last time the both teams met was in a league cup on 20/09/17 and the game ended in a 1-1 draw with goals from R. Jiménez 11th minute for Benfica and Ricardo Ferreira 68th minute for Braga.
BENFICA
Benfica are in a great run of form recently, winning 6 out of their last 6 matches in all competition(including the champions league), and in the process they are yet to concede a single goal both at home and away. SL Benfica currently occupies the fourth spot in the Primeira Liga table with 29 points, having manage to record 9 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in their 13th matches played so far. In their previous match Benfica won against Montalegre 1-0 away from home in the Taca de Portugal(Portuguese Cup) Round 16 to book a spot in the Quarter-Final showdown against Vitoria Setubal. So in this match, in front of their fans, the coach Rui Vitoria will definitely opt for a very offensive strategy because he knows they are up against a side like Braga who hardly concedes a goal and also good defensively. But It is also important to highlight the excellent form of Brazilian striker Jonas who can be the one to cause a serious issue for guest Braga, due to his hunger for goals and he has managed to score 5 goals in his last 8 matches played so far in the 2018/19 campaign.
BRAGA
Braga is in 3rd position in the Primeira league standings and has 30 points from their 13 games so far. They have managed to win 9 games, drew 3 and lost the remaining one. The team managed to score 26 goals and conceded 10 in return. Braga will also be motivated coming to game after having won their last match 1-0 in a hard-fought battle against Vitoria de Seubal. The goal was scored in the 90+6 minute by Pablo Santos who gave the The Minho Warriors their Quarter-Finals spot against Aves. So for todays which is definitely gonn' be a hard one for them since they really don't hold much winning ratio against Benfica, the coach Abel Ferreira would surely be hoping to keep the formation in 4-4-2, benefiting the defensive works of his Center Backs and also the counterattacks through the Flanks. The Brazilian Diego Sousa is the best scorer for Braga with 10 goals scored so far in the campaign, so he can really cause a major upset for the home team.
PRE-MATCH FACT
- 4 of Benfica last home game against Braga has ended in an over 2.5 goals.
- Benfica have managed to score in a series of 11 straight games in all competition.
- Braga was unbeaten in 27 of their last 28 fixtures.
- Tiago Sá didn't feature in midweek, but will probably be part of the starting XI here, replacing Marafona.
- Braga have kept a clean sheet in their last 3 matches.
- Braga have been winning at both half time and full time in their last 3 matches.
PREDICTION
For today's game between game between the 4th place Benfica and 3rd place Braga, i believe it surely has an enormous tendency to be open game with clear chances of goals, and I'm also gonn' be capitalizing on the fact that their last 3 meetings at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (da Luz), has ended in an over 2.5 scoreline: (3-1, 3-0, 2-1). The home team Benfica are quite good at home with an impressive home record of 4 wins, 2 draws and just one loss in 7 home matches played. Benfica should win this also maybe with a scoreline of 3-1.
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