Preview: Braga vs. Estoril Praia

Braga, currently 10 points clear and six places ahead of Estoril Praia in the Primeira Liga table, are favourites to record their eighth win in Friday’s gameweek 13 fixture at Estadio Municipal de Braga.

Carlos Carvalhal‘s men made hard work of AVS last weekend for their third win in four, leaving them in fifth heading into the forthcoming fixture against an opponent with few positive results away from home.

Match preview

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Having lost a four-match undefeated run (three wins) against Sporting Lisbon (2-4) in Ruben Amorim‘s final match before departing for Manchester United, Braga have responded positively with three wins on the trot.

Carvalhal’s men have beaten Leixoes (2-0), Hoffenheim in the Europa League (3-0) and AVS (1-0) in the Liga to start December, leaving the Archbishops fifth, just outside the European places.

Os Arsenalistas were favourites to end the previous round inside the top four, only for fourth-placed Santa Clara to stun Sporting 1-0 in Lisbon, leaving Braga one point behind in the continental battle after 12 rounds.

With Santa Clara not in action until Saturday, Os Arcebispos could leapfrog Vasco Matos‘s team for 24 hours with a win to take the hosts two points clear in the battle for fourth.

Given Braga’s historical edge in this fixture — they are 13 unbeaten against Estoril and have claimed five consecutive victories — Braguistas will back their side to notch a fourth home league success this term.

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While the travelling Canaries face an uphill task in Braga, Ian Cathro‘s side staying winless on the road highlights the magnitude of the Lisbon outfit’s task.

Canarinhos have not won in five tries outside Cascais, strikingly firing blanks in four matches: Vitoria Guimaraes (0-1), Boavista (0-0), Farense (0-1) and Porto (0-4).

While supporters hoped the 2-2 draw at Rio Ave in late September could prompt a turnaround in away results, consecutive losses to Farense and Porto have deflated that optimism to extend a year-long wait for road success.

Estoril’s 1-0 win at Estadio do Dragao in November 2023 is the Lisbon club’s only away Liga success in two years, emphasising the club’s wretched form on their travels.

Only Estrela Amadora (one point) have had a worse away return than Estoril (two points) in 2024-25, and it remains to be seen if Cathro’s men halt the club’s extended 16-match road sequence without success on Friday.

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Estoril Praia form (all competitions):

Team News

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Paulo Oliveira (calf) and Rodrigo Zalazar (muscle) are not expected to feature for Braga, while Gabriel Martinez will be assessed after his late injury-enforced withdrawal against AVS on Sunday.

Despite missing a late penalty to double Os Arsenalistas’ lead at AVS, Bruma aims to add to his seven direct goal contributions (three goals, four assists).

Although Amine El Ouazzani leads the scoring charts for the home side with four goals, the forward enters Friday’s match without a goal in five appearances, with two blanks in the league.

Vinicius Zanocelo will miss Estoril’s visit to Braga through suspension after receiving his fifth booking against Famalicao, while Xeka and Pedro Amaral are absent due to injury issues, but Eliaquim Mangala will be assessed.

Only Alejandro Marques and Wagner Pina have netted away goals for Cathro’s men this term, underlining the visiting club’s struggles on their travels.

Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Ferreira, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi; Fernandes, Carvalho, Moutinho, Gomez; Horta, Ouazzani, Bruma

We say: Braga 2-0 Estoril Praia

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