Casa Pia will be looking to secure a third consecutive victory for the first time since November 2022 when they lock horns with Braga at the Estadio Braga Municipal on Sunday.
Os Arcebispos, who are unbeaten in their most recent five games against the visitors, will head into their final game of the year aiming to extend this impressive streak and secure their first home win in the league since October.
Match preview
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Braga picked up a third Primeira Liga away win on the bounce as they edged out 10-man Santa Clara 2-0 when the two sides squared off at the Estadio de Sao Miguel last Sunday.
In a game where Lucas Soares received his marching orders, 30-year-old forward Bruma turned in a standout individual display as he netted two second-half goals to condemn Santa Clara to a third straight defeat.
Prior to that, Braga were on a three-game winless run across all competitions, playing out stalemates with Estoril Praia and Famalicao in the league on either side of a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Roma in the Europa League on December 12.
With last weekend's victory, Carlos Carvalhal's men have now gone unbeaten in four back-to-back Primeira Liga matches, picking up eight points from a possible 12 available, and have lost just one of their last seven league outings since late October.
With 28 points from their 15 Primeira Liga matches, Os Arcebispos currently sit fourth in the league standings, one point above fifth-placed Santa Clara just outside the European qualifying places.
While Braga will be looking to continue from where they left off against Santa Clara and close out the year on a high, they have failed to win their last three home games in the league since picking up a 2-0 victory over Farense on October 27.
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Over in Lisbon, Casa Pia secured back-to-back Primeira Liga victories for the first time since September when they edged out Arouca 3-1 at the Estadio Pina Manique last Friday.
After falling two goals behind through strikes from Jeremy Livolant and Leonardo Lelo, Alphonso Trezza pulled one back for Arouca in the 63rd minute, but Samuel Obeng struck in the 88th minute to make sure of the result and leave the Arouquenses rooted to the bottom of the table.
This followed a 2-0 victory over Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on December 15, when Telasco Segovia and Cassiano scored second-half goals to snap their run of four consecutive games without a win in the league.
Casa Pia have now gone unbeaten in all but one of their last nine matches across all competitions, picking up three draws and five wins, including victories over Amora FC and Chaves to reach the fifth round of the Taca de Portugal.
Having secured a ninth-placed finish last season, Joao Pereira's men have enjoyed a decent first half of the campaign, picking up 20 points from their 15 Primeira Liga matches to sit seventh in the table, level on points with eighth-placed Moreirense.
While Casa Pia will be looking to make it three wins from their final three games to close out the year, they face the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side who are unbeaten in their last five encounters, claiming four wins and one draw since December 2022.
Team News
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Paulo Oliveira was forced off injured shortly before half time in the game against Santa Clara last time out and the 32-year-old defender is a major doubt for Braga.
Should he fail to shake off the injury, summer signing Robson Bambu should come into the fold for just his third league start, forming the back three with Joao Ferreira and Mali international Sikou Niakate.
With his brace last weekend, Bruma now boasts seven goals and four assists in 13 league appearances and the 30-year-old should lead Os Arcebispos' attack once again, alongside Amine El Ouazzani and skipper Ricardo Horta.
As for Casa Pia, Pereira will be unable to name Guinea-Bissau forward Claudio Mendes, who is yet to make an appearance this season after sustaining a knee injury in May.
Fellow attacker Kiki Silva also continues his long road to full fitness after coming off injured in the game against Mafra back in August and the 26-year-old is out of contention for this weekend's matchup.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Hornicek; Ferreira, Bambu, Niakate; Fernandes, Zalazar, Carvalho, Ribeiro; Horta, El Ouazzani, Bruma
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Goulart, Tchamba, Fonte; Larrazabal, Segovia, Kraev, Lelo; Livolant, Cassiano, Moreira
We say: Braga 2-1 Casa Pia
It has been a cheerful festive season for Casa Pia, who will be looking to make it 10 points from a possible 12 to end the year on a strong note. However, Braga head into the weekend buoyed by their victory over Santa Clara, and given the gulf in quality between the two teams, we predict that they will come away with all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
