MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 08:31:01| >> :600:334011:334011:
[monks data]
Braga
Europa League | Group Stage
Sep 30, 2021 at 8pm UK
Estádio Municipal de Braga
Midtjylland
Braga
3 - 1
Midtjylland
Galeno (55' pen., 90+5'), Horta (62')
Leite (18'), Sa (24'), Oliveira (90')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Evander (19' pen.)
Sviatchenko (27'), Henriksen (32'), Rafn Olafsson (33'), Juninho (55'), Evander (80')
Juninho (84')

Preview: Braga vs. FC Midtjylland - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Europa League clash between Braga and FC Midtjylland, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

After both failing to win their opening game, Braga and FC Midtjylland will square off on Thursday in the second round of fixtures of the Europa League group stage.

The Portuguese side were narrowly beaten by Red Star Belgrade in the curtain-raiser, while their visitors played out a draw with Ludogorets Razgrad, and both will be keen to secure a first three-point haul.


Match preview

Braga coach Carlos Carvalhal in February 2021© Reuters

After a relatively impressive Primeira Liga campaign last term, eventually finishing in fourth spot, Braga earned automatic qualification into this year's Europa League group stage, but began with a disappointing result.

Carlos Carvalhal's side faced the tough task of a trip to Serbia to take on Red Star Belgrade, and the game remained goalless for 75 minutes.

Milan Rodic then put the hosts ahead, but Galeno immediately drew Braga level, before Aleksandar Katai converted a late penalty to seal all three points condemn Carvalhal's side to a narrow loss.

Os Arcebispos bounced back from that with a 3-1 league win over Tondela, with all four goals in the game coming in the final 10 minutes, but were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by strugglers Santa Clara last time out, as their opponents snatched a point in the 95th minute.

Following that underwhelming result and with little room for error in the group stage, the Portuguese side will look to bounce back and put their first points on the board as they aim to reach the knockout stage of this year's competition.

FC Midtjylland's Raphael Onyedika celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates on July 28, 2021© Reuters

They take on a Midtjylland side who find themselves in the group after dropping out of Champions League qualification.

After finishing second in the Danish Superliga last season, the Ulvene earned entry into the second qualifying round for Europe's elite competition, and a 3-2 aggregate win over Scottish giants Celtic saw them progress, only to be dumped out by PSV Eindhoven after a 4-0 defeat over two legs.

That defeat meant they dropped straight into the Europa League group stage, and they began with a home clash against Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad, with the game finishing 1-1 after Gustav Isaksen's third-minute opener was cancelled out by a Kiril Despodov equaliser for the visitors.

In their search for a first win of the Europa League campaign, Bo Henriksen's side will look to channel their league form, as they currently sit at the summit of the Danish top flight with 24 points from the first 10 games of the campaign.

Braga Europa League form:
  • L

Braga form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D

FC Midtjylland Europa League form:
  • D

FC Midtjylland form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W



Team News

Braga's Lucas Piazon celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates in May 2021© Reuters

Braga are missing several players down the spine of the squad, with centre-back David Carmo, midfielder Andre Castro and forward Abel Ruiz all sidelined through injuries.

With their attack continuing to struggle for consistency, young winger Iuri Medeiros should be trusted going forward, after recently returning from injury in style with three goals in five games.

Mario Gonzalez should lead the line, with Ricardo Horta operating on the other flank.

Midtjylland's only absentee should be first-choice goalkeeper Jonas Lossl, who is a major doubt for Thursday's game, with Elias Rafn Olafsson set to continue deputising between the sticks.

However, defender Erik Sviatchenko was withdrawn prematurely in their most recent league outing, and will need an assessment to deem whether he is fit to feature.

Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; Tormena, Oliveira, Leite; Fabiano, Mineiro, Musrati, Galeno; Horta, Gonzalez, Medeiros

FC Midtjylland possible starting lineup:
Olafsson; Dalsgaard, Sviatchenko, Juninho; Andersson, Onyedika, Evander, Paulinho; Isaksen, Sisto, Brumado


SM words green background

We say: Braga 2-1 FC Midtjylland

With the benefit of home advantage, Braga will be keen to put their first victory of the group on the board, and we see them scraping past the visitors.

While they have tended to struggle going forward at points, the Archbishops do have enough to pull off a victory in front of a home crowd.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



ID:465842:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10634:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Braga win with a probability of 42.27%. A win for FC Midtjylland had a probability of 33.73% and a draw had a probability of 24%.

The most likely scoreline for a Braga win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.75%) and 2-0 (6.27%). The likeliest FC Midtjylland win was 1-2 (7.83%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.01%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Braga would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Braga vs Midtjylland

Braga
67.9%
Draw
14.3%
FC Midtjylland
17.9%
140
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Kristoffer Ajer in action for Celtic on September 19, 2019
Read Next:
Erik Sviatchenko: 'No Kristoffer Ajer is good news for Midtjylland'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
QWest Ham650115
QFreiburg640212
3Olympiacos62137
4Backa Topola60151

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
QBrighton641113
QMarseille632111
3Ajax61235
4AEK Athens61144

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
QRangers632111
QSparta Prague631210
3Betis63039
4Aris Limassol61144

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
QAtalanta642014
QSporting Lisbon632111
3Sturm Graz61144
4Rakow61144

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
QLiverpool640212
QToulouse632111
3Union SG62228
4LASK61053

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
QVillarreal641113
QRennes640212
3M. Haifa61235
4Panathinaikos61144

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
QSlavia Prague650115
QRoma641113
3Servette61235
4Sheriff Tiraspol60151

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
QB. Leverkusen660018
QQarabag631210
3Molde62137
4Hacken60060

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!