Preview: Braga vs Sporting Lisbon - prediction, team news, lineups

In a weekend that features clashes between the top four, Sporting Lisbon could emerge as the biggest beneficiary as they travel to Minho to face Braga on Saturday.

The second-placed Lions have the chance to temporarily cut their four-point gap to the Primeira Liga summit, with leaders Porto travelling to play third-placed Benfica a day later, while the Archbishops will be looking to strengthen their grip on fourth place.

Match preview

Still firmly in contention to repeat last season’s league and cup double, Sporting seized control of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie with a 1–0 first-leg victory over Porto in Tuesday’s Classico at Estadio Jose Alvalade, with Luis Suarez’s 62nd-minute penalty proving decisive.

That result means Rui Borges’s men are now unbeaten in 11 matches across all competitions since their Taca da Liga exit in January, winning 10 of those, including each of the last four with clean sheets, three of which have come in the league.

The Lions’ most recent Primeira Liga outing came in a 3–0 thrashing of Estoril Praia last Friday, when Suarez’s early brace and Daniel Braganca’s stoppage-time strike secured all three points and maintained the two-peat champions' perfect record against sides outside the top five.

All of Sporting’s 19 triumphs in 24 league matches (D4, L1) this season have come against such opponents, meaning wins have been harder to come by against teams in the upper reaches of the table, one of those outings being a 1–1 stalemate with Braga in the reverse fixture.

While the Lions have now gone back-to-back meetings with the Archbishops without victory, they did win the last time both sides met in Minho, providing an extra boost for a team that has an impressive record of nine victories in 12 away league games (D3) this season.

Braga appear a worthy opponent, having won seven of their nine outings (D1, L1) since suffering consecutive defeats across the Taca da Liga and Portuguese Cup, with that run also securing Carlos Vicens’s side a direct passage into the Europa League last 16.

The Archbishops’ most recent outing was a 2–1 victory over Nacional last weekend, where Rodrigo Zalazar completed his brace with a 96th-minute winner to hand the Minho-based outfit a sixth triumph in their last seven league games (L1).

Picking up fewer points than only Sporting (19) and Benfica (19) over that period, Braga currently sit fourth in the Primeira Liga standings, five points above fifth-placed Gil Vicente and could go eight clear with a victory, at least temporarily, pending when the Roosters play a day later.

The hosts have every reason for optimism heading into this encounter, having won six of their last seven home league matches (D1), including each of the last three, scoring three or more goals.

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):

Team News

Last weekend’s victory at Nacional came at a cost for Braga, with defender Adrian Leon Barisic forced off and now sidelined with an abductor issue.

Meanwhile, Amine El Ouazzani remains out with a foot injury, while Jean-Baptiste Gorby and Sikou Niakite continue to miss action through muscle problems, and Vitor Carvalho could sit out a sixth consecutive fixture.

Zalazar is in excellent form, having scored braces in back-to-back outings, and will enter this encounter full of confidence, as will captain Ricardo Horta, who was named February Player of the Month.

Also in fine form for Sporting, Suarez has found the net in each of his last four appearances, putting him in prime position for the Golden Boot race, having scored 22 league goals so far.

On the injury front, the Lions are expected to remain without Ricardo Mangas, Giorgi Kochorashvili, and Geovany Quenda, while Zeno Debast and Fotis Ioannidis have returned to training during the week, though it remains to be seen if they will be fit enough to feature.

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Arrey-Mbi, Oliveira; Gomez, Moutinho, Grillitsch, G Martinez; Horta, P Victor, Zalazar

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Hjulmand, Morita; Catamo, Trincao, Guilherme; Suarez

We say: Braga 2-2 Sporting Lisbon

Both teams enter this encounter with strong momentum, making it a fairly balanced clash, and we expect a scoring draw between two sides in good attacking form.

Braga’s last dropped points came in a 2–2 stalemate against Benfica, and with Sporting also struggling to secure wins against top-five sides, a similar outcome could be on the cards here.

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