Fresh off the back of yet another Europa League defeat, Braga return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Boavista at the Estadio Braga Municipal on Sunday.
Currently rooted to the bottom of the league standings, the visitors will head into the weekend looking to end their run of eight consecutive games without a win and secure their first victory over Os Arcebispos since December 2021.
Match preview
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Braga's hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the Europa League suffered a major blow in midweek as they fell to a somewhat disappointing 2-1 defeat against Union Saint-Gilloise at the King Baudouin Stadium.
In a heated contest that saw both sides finish with nine men, Amine El Ouazzani struck in the 16th minute to hand Braga a dream start to the game but Franjo Ivanovic took matters into his hands in the second half as he netted a brace to help the Belgian outfit turn the tie on its head.
Carlos Carvalhal's men have now lost consecutive games in the Europa League and managed just one win in six outings since kicking off the campaign with a 2-1 victory over nine-man Maccabi Tel Aviv in September, a run which has seen them plummet into 27th place in the table, two points off the playoff qualifying places.
While Braga have struggled to impose themselves in Europe's second-tier competition, they return to action in the Primeira Liga, where they have enjoyed a solid campaign and are in contention to secure a top-four finish.
Os Arcebispos made it three wins from four league matches last Sunday when they edged out a dogged Estrela Amadora side 1-0 at the Estadio Jose Gomes courtesy of a 93rd-minute strike from El Ouazzani.
Braga have picked up 10 wins and four draws from their 18 Primeira Liga matches to collect 34 points and sit fourth in the league standings, seven points behind second-placed Benfica in the second Champions League qualifying spot.
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Over in Porto, Boavista were the architects of their downfall last Monday as they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Casa Pia after scoring two first-half own goals at the Estadio do Bessa.
Rodrigo Abascal and Felipe Ferreira inadvertently turned the ball into their net 13 minutes after to put Casa Pia in the driver's seat, and after Bruno Onyemaechi pulled one back on the stroke of half time, Jeremy Livolant netted fine minutes after the break to restore the visitors' two-goal advantage.
Boavista have now lost three games on the trot, conceding 10 goals and scoring three, and have failed to taste victory in their last eight matches, suffering five defeats and claiming three draws since a 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente on November 2.
Cristiano Bacci's men have picked up just 12 points from their 18 Primeira Liga matches and find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Primeira Liga table heading into the business end of the season, four points away from safety.
While Boavista will look to stop the rot this weekend and kickstart their push for survival, next up is the challenge of an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of the last seven meetings between the two teams, including four wins in their most recent four encounters since July 2023.
Team News
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Vitor Carvalho and 30-year-old forward Bruma were both shown red cards in the Europa League defeat against Saint-Gilloise on Thursday but they are eligible to feature in Sunday's contest and we expect them in the starting XI.
With his opener in the aforementioned game, El Ouazzani has found the back of the net in back-to-back matches and the 23-year-old should lead Os Arcebispos' attack once again, alongside Bruma and skipper Ricardo Horta.
Meanwhile, Boavista will have to cope without the services of 21-year-old defender Pedro Gomes, who is suspended after picking up a straight red against Casa Pia last time out.
Miguel Reisinho, Salvador Agra and Nigerian defender Onyemaechi will also play no part in this weekend's clash as they are also suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.
On the injury front, Boavista remain without the services of Joao Goncalves and 20-year-old Morales Pires, who both continue their lengthy spell on the sidelines through knee injuries.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Gomez, Arrey-Mbi, Niakate; Fernandes, Gorby, Carvalho, Ribeiro, Horta, Navarro, Bruma, El Ouazzani
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Cesar; Miguel, Abascal, Ferreira, Dabo; Perez, Vukotic; Machado, Ribeiro, Namora; Bozenik
We say: Braga 2-0 Boavista
Braga will be licking their lips as they welcome the challenge of an out-of-sorts Boavista side who have failed to taste victory in their last eight outings since November 2. Carvalhal's men have won their last four games against Boavista, and given the gulf in quality between the two sides, we are backing them to extend this streak on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
