Braga will aim to get back to winning ways and tighten their grip on third place when they welcome Conference League-chasing Santa Clara this Saturday for round 32 of the Primeira Liga.
The hosts have collected 64 points from 19 victories, seven draws and five defeats, two points clear of fourth-placed Porto, while the visitors are one point adrift of fifth-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes.
Match preview
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Braga’s most recent outing ended in a 1-1 draw at Famalicao, a result that brought an end to their two-game winning streak but extended their unbeaten run to seven matches.
The Archbishops were caught off-guard early, conceding just eight minutes in, but they rallied in the second half, with a cross from Roger Fernandes leading to an own goal from Rodrigo Pinheiro.
Despite the disappointment of not claiming all three points, Braga’s position in third place remains secure, and they are now two points ahead of Porto, who lost their own encounter at Estrela Amadora.
The Minho side will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of their home fans, where they have recorded victories in six straight league games, while keeping clean sheets in four, though they have conceded in their most recent two.
Braga will be confident of maintaining their momentum against a Santa Clara side they have beaten in each of their last three meetings, keeping shutouts in two of those encounters, including a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
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For the visitors, their recent form has been a bit up and down, with a 2-0 win over Arouca in their last outing providing much-needed relief after a winless run of three games.
That was the first time in 10 outings in which the Azoreans have found the net more than once, while they have drawn blank in five of those encounters.
Indeed, Vasco Matos‘s side have won just three of their last 10 matches, with all victories coming with clean sheets, but the question remains if Santa Clara will be able to pull this off against a Braga side that has scored in each of their last 12 league games on home turf, totalling 27 in that stretch.
The Azoreans’s recent form on the road leaves much to be desired, with just one win in their last five trips, though they have picked up 21 points from 15 away games this season, which is a commendable return for a side recently promoted to the top flight.
Team News
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Fernandes made an impact coming from the bench and will likely start out wide, relegating Ismael Gharbi to the bench.
Paulo Oliveira misses out due to an accumulation of bookings, paving the way for Sikou Niakate to partner with Robson Bambu at the heart of the defence.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old centre-back Jonatas Noro remains sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury and will not play a part here.
Ricardinho scored a brace for Santa Clara last weekend and will be full of confidence here when he operates from the attacking flank on Saturday.
Wendel Silva could replace Joao Costa upfront if Matos opts for a pure striker; otherwise, Vinícius Lopes could start there.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Hornicek; Chissumba, Niakate, Bambu, Gomez; Horta, Moutinho, Racic, Fernandes; Zalazar, Ouazzani
Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Batista; Rocha, Lima, MT; Pereira, Firmino, Serginho, Soares; Ricardinho, Wendel, Silva
We say: Braga 1-0 Santa Clara
This game has all the markings of a tightly contested one, but with Braga’s formidable form on home turf and their dominance in this fixture, they should edge this encounter.
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