Benfica and Braga are in action for the first time in the new year when they go head to head at the Estadio da Luz in round 17 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
Having suffered defeats in their respective last outings of 2024, both sides will head into the weekend looking to bounce back, with As Aguias eyeing a fifth consecutive victory over the visitors since April 2023.
Match preview
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Benfica failed to end their three-game winless run in the heated Lisbon derby as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against rivals Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade to close the year last Sunday.
Mozambican midfielder Geny Catamo finished off a well-worked team goal one minute shy of the half-hour mark before Sporting Lisbon held on to their slender lead to see out the win and reclaim top spot in the Primeira Liga table.
Prior to that, Benfica were on a run of nine back-to-back games without defeat across all competitions, picking up seven wins and two draws since a 1-0 loss at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League on November 6.
The result at the Estadio Jose Alvalade also saw As Aguias' 14-game unbeaten run in the Primeira Liga come to an end, a run stretching back to August 11, when they fell to a 2-0 loss against Famalicao on the opening weekend.
Bruno Lage's men will look to build upon their solid first half of the season in their quest for a 39th Primeira Liga title as they sit third in the table with 38 points from 16 matches, two points behind first-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Benfica's first outing of the year sees them return home, where they boast a 100% record in the league this season, winning each of their eight matches while scoring 26 goals and conceding just three so far.
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Braga, on the other hand, dropped out of the European qualifying places in their final outing of the year as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Casa Pia at the Estadio Braga Municipal last Sunday.
After falling behind to Telasco Segovia's 40th-minute opener, Amine El Ouazzani netted on the stroke of half time to draw the home side level, but Nuno Moreira struck in the 70th minute to hand Casa Pia a third consecutive victory to close out the year.
This followed a 2-0 victory over 10-man Santa Clara at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on December 22, when Bruma netted a second-half brace to end Os Arcebispos' run of three straight games without a win across all competitions.
Braga have now lost four of their 16 Primeira Liga games this season while claiming eight wins and four draws to collect 28 points and sit fifth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Santa Clara in the Conference League qualifying spot.
While Carlos Carvalhal's side will be looking to get the new year underway on a high, next up is the challenge of an opposing side who have won each of their last four encounters, scoring eight goals and conceding three since a penalty-shootout defeat in the Taca de Portugal quarter-finals back in April 2023.
Team News
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Benfica remain without the services of Portuguese forward Tiago Gouveia, who continues his long road to full fitness after suffering a shoulder injury against Estrela Amadora back in August.
Despite their disappointing defeat against rivals Sporting Lisbon last time out, we expect Lage to name an unchanged XI this weekend, with Angel Di Maria, Orkun Kokcu, Kerem Akturkoglu and Zeki Amdouni forming the attacking quartet.
Alexander Bah, Tomas Araujo, Nicolas Otamendi and Alvaro Carreras should retain their roles at the defensive end of the pitch while Florentino Luis and 29-year-old Fredrik Aursnes should team up in midfield.
As for Braga, they head into their first outing of the new year with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Carvalhal the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
El Ouazzani has enjoyed a solid debut campaign, netted five goals in 10 league starts since his summer move from Guingamp, and the Moroccan forward should lead Os Arcebispos' attack, alongside Bruma and skipper Ricardo Horta.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Carreras; Luis, Aursnes; Di Maria, Kokcu, Akturkoglu; Amdouni
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Ferreira, Bambu, Niakate; Fernandes, Zalazar, Moutinho, Ribeiro; Horta, El Ouazzani, Bruma
We say: Benfica 2-1 Braga
Looking at recent meetings between Benfica and Braga, we anticipate an action-packed contest at the Estadio da Luz as both sides look to begin the new year on a winning note. As Aguias have been perfect on home turf this season, and while we expect Braga to put up a fight, we are backing Lage's men to come away with all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
