Braga will look to bounce back to winning ways in the Primeira Liga when they head to Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior to take on Casa Pia on Saturday evening.

The hosts are currently in 10th place in the league standings with 16 points after the first 14 matches, while the visitors are fourth with 29 points earned over the same period.

Match preview

© Reuters

After making a very good debut in the top flight last season when they finished inside the top 10, Casa Pia took their time to get going this season and looked likely to spend the season battling the drop.

However, the Geese have shown improvement this month and have managed to secure two crucial victories that have seen them open up a four-point gap between themselves and the drop zone heading into this match.

Filipe Martins's side put on a very good performance last week to beat a struggling Chaves 3-1 on the road, thanks to a brace from Clayton on either side of a goal from Tiago Dias in the first half.

They also managed a 1-0 win against Portimonense at the start of the month, although notably, that was the first victory they recorded on home soil this term, with each of their other three wins coming on the road.

The hosts' major issue this season has been their attacking output as they currently possess the league's worst goal tally, with 13 to date, though they have been good in defence, conceding just 15, which is the same number as Sporting Lisbon have let in.

© Reuters

Meanwhile, Braga are involved in a heated battle at the top of the Primeira Liga table and head into this match five points behind the league leaders, while Vitoria Guimaraes have pulled level with them on 29 points.

The Arsenalists were unbeaten in eight matches from mid-September until two weeks ago, recording seven wins and a draw in that time, which saw them move up to second place and just one point behind the leaders.

However, they were unable to capitalize on their good work, losing 1-0 to Benfica last time out, and with that, they passed up the opportunity to remain in the Europa League qualification spot at Christmas.

Nevertheless, Artur Jorge's side are still carrying a four-match away unbeaten streak into this match, including three wins and a draw, while they have only suffered one defeat in seven games on the road so far this season.

The last encounter between these sides ended in a 1-1 draw but Braga did win 1-0 at this venue in the league last season and are the firm favourites to claim another three points in this one.

Team News

© Reuters

After a fairly lengthy period on the sideline, Rafael Brito returned to the squad last week against Chaves, albeit as an unused substitute, and will be hoping to return to the starting lineup for this one.

The only injury absentee for the hosts at the moment is Kiki Silva, who has yet to feature this season and is only expected to return from an Achilles injury in the New Year.

Clayton's brace in the last match should earn him another start in attack, and he will be joined in the three-man front line by Yuki Soma and Felippe Cardoso.

Jorge resisted the temptation to rotate his squad, making just two changes for their Taca da Liga match against Nacional last week, which means we should see a fairly similar lineup on Saturday.

One of the changes, though, was the inclusion of Sikou Niakate, who came up with a goal in the match and will be hoping that was enough to keep him in the starting 11 for this one.

In terms of injuries, Alvaro Djalo is the only player on the treatment table for the visitors due to a muscle injury, and he is only likely to return to action in the next month.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Batista; Varela, Zolotic, Dias; Larrazabal, Mukendi, Neto, Lelo; Cardoso, Clayton, Soma

Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Gomez, Saatci, Fonte, Borja; Moutinho, Zalazar; Bruma, Djalo, Horta; Banza

We say: Casa Pia 0-1 Braga

Braga have to keep churning out results to keep up with the likes of Benfica and Sporting, but this will not be an easy match for them. While Casa Pia have been poor in attack, their defensive performances have been very impressive, and they have only conceded more than one goal in a home game on one occasion this season. Braga will need to work for the points here, but we fancy them to get the job done, albeit by a slender margin.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Devesh Jaganath

Previews by email