Braga take on the visitors Freiburg in the first leg of UEFA Europa League semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, April 30th at Estádio Municipal de Braga (Braga).
Braga have their own clearly defined niche, and it is rare for them to push aside even one of the traditional top three in Primeira Liga. On the other hand, they consistently manage to stay within the top four, just as they did last season, and now they have again pulled away from their pursuers. Their recent domestic form has been stable, with regular point accumulation allowing them to feel confident in their position. At the same time, they have shown resilience in tight matches, often turning games around late on. This allows them to focus more on European competition. It is hard to believe that their campaign there started with a dramatic qualification win over PFC Levski Sofia, when the only goal came in extra time of the return leg. After that, they eliminated CFR Cluj and Lincoln Red Imps FC, and collected 4 wins and 14 points in the main round. The playoffs were not easy either: after losing 0-2 in Budapest, they crushed Ferencvárosi TC 4-0 at home, and against Real Betis, after a home draw and conceding twice by the 26th minute in Seville, they staged a comeback to win 4-2.
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Freiburg are forced to compete on three fronts simultaneously. “The Brazilians from Breisgau” were slightly disappointing last year, missing out on 4th place, as Borussia Dortmund edged them by a couple of points at the finish. This season, even repeating 5th place in the Bundesliga seems unlikely, with 7th being the realistic target. Recently, their league form has been inconsistent, with alternating wins and setbacks reflecting the heavy schedule. However, they continue to show attacking quality, regularly scoring multiple goals even against strong opposition. At the same time, they reached the semifinals of the domestic cup, where they face VfB Stuttgart. In addition, last season’s results sent them to the Europa League, where they recorded 5 wins in the main round, losing only once, to Lille OSC in January. In the playoffs, they started with a 0-1 defeat in Genk, but then thrashed the Belgians and scored three goals in each match against RC Celta de Vigo.
Previously, the Portuguese and German sides had never faced each other, not even in friendly matches. The experienced hosts are understandably considered favorites, at least for the first leg at home. However, a more neutral option looks preferable — considering how strong the visitors are in attack, the best pick here is over 2.0 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.0 scored goals.
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