A place in the final of the Taca da Liga will be up for grabs on Tuesday evening when Braga and Sporting Lisbon go head to head at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa.
The Leoes head into the cup tie unbeaten in each of their last four games against the home side since January 2022 and will look to extend this impressive run.
Match preview
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Braga picked up their first win of the year last Thursday when they saw off a dogged Famalicao side 2-1 at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao.
Following a relatively drab first half, Jhonder Cadiz put the Vila Nova ahead from the spot in the 62nd minute but Christian Borja and Alvaro Djalo found the back of the net to turn the game on its head.
Prior to that, Artur Jorge's men were on a run of three straight games without a win, picking up one draw and losing twice, including a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Benfica in the Taca de Portugal fifth round on January 10.
Off the back of a solid first half of the season, Braga are on course to secure a place in Europe as they sit fourth in the Primeira Liga table, having picked up 36 points from 18 matches.
Os Arcebispos now turn their attention to the Taca da Liga, where they kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Casa Pia in their Group A opener on November 1.
This was followed by a 3-1 victory over second-tier Nacional on December 22, when Joao Moutinho, Sikou Niakate and Ricardo Horta scored first-half goals to fire Braga into the knockout stages, narrowly edging out runners-up Casa Pia on goal difference.
Braga have struggled to impose themselves at the defensive end of the pitch in recent weeks, failing to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 12 matches since a 1-0 victory over Arouca on November 12.
Their defence will be put to the test once again on Tuesday as they take on a Sporting Lisbon side who have scored 14 goals in five matches across all competitions since the start of December.
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Sporting Lisbon cruised through the group stages of the Taca da Liga as they finished with maximum points in Group C while scoring six goals and conceding three.
The Leoes kicked off their quest for a fourth cup title with an emphatic 4-2 victory over Farnese on November 2, before Daniel Braganca and Paulinho scored first-half goals in a 2-1 victory over Tondela on December 23.
Sporting Lisbon turned in another superb team display on Thursday when they dismantled Vizela 5-2 at the Estadio do FC courtesy of goals from Paulinho, Francisco Trincao, Sebastian Coates and a brace from in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Ruben Amorim's men have now won each of their last nine matches across all competitions, a run which has seen them reach the knockout stages of the Europa League after finishing second in Group D.
Sporting Lisbon have also picked up 15 wins and one draw in their 18 Primeira Liga matches to collect 46 points and sit top of the pile, one point above second-placed Benfica.
Team News
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Braga remain without the duo of Niakate and Simon Banza, who are currently at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with Mali and Congo DR respectively.
Barring any late fitness issue, Os Arcebispos head into the cup tie with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Jorge the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
With his stoppage-time winner against Famalicao, Djalo now has six league goals to his name and the Spanish forward school team up with Horta and Abel Ruiz in attack once again.
As for Sporting Lisbon, Hidemasa Morita is currently with the Japan national team at the Asian Cup, while Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast) and Geny Catamo (Mozambique) are away at the AFCON.
On the injury front, the Leoes remain without Jerry St. Juste and teenage defender Ivan Fresneda, who are currently recuperating from muscle and shoulder injuries respectively.
With his brace against Vizela, Gyokeres now has 16 goals and nine assists in 22 matches across all competitions this season and the Swedish striker will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Gomez, Fonte, Oliveira, Borja; Carvalho, Moutinho, Pizzi; Djalo, Horta, Ruiz
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Quaresma, Coates, Inacio, Esgaio; Hjulmand, Goncalves, Santos; Trincao, Paulinho, Gyokeres
We say: Braga 1-3 Sporting Lisbon
While Braga will be looking to reach the cup final, they have their work cut out against a Sporting Lisbon side who are currently firing on all cylinders. Amorim's men are unbeaten in their last four games against the hosts and we are backing them to come out on top once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
