Preview: Caldas vs Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

Braga return to action in the Taca de Portugal when they journey to the Campo da Mata to take on Liga 3 outfit Caldas in the fifth round on Tuesday.

Both sides head into the cup tie fresh off the back of league defeats at the weekend, with the hosts losing against Uniao Santarem while Braga were beaten by Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

Match preview

Caldas failed to stop the rot on Friday when they dropped out of the Liga 3 promotion round places following a 2-0 defeat against Uniao Santarem at the Campo da Mata.

Pedro Pereira opened the scoring in the sixth minute to set Uniao Santarem on their way before 24-year-old Bruno Ventura doubled the lead in the 56th minute to make sure of the result.

Caldas’ form has plunged since their solid start to the league campaign, when they picked up five wins and three draws from the first nine matches, with Jose Vala’s men suffering five defeats from their last five Liga 3 matches.

Focus now turns to the Taca de Portugal, where the third-tier outfit will be looking to draw inspiration from their impressive display in the fourth round on November 23, when they edged out Primeira Liga side Tondela on penalties.

Vala’s side kicked off their cup quest with consecutive victories over Portomosense and Campeonato de Portugal side CD Fatima in September, before Pepo Santos’s second-half strike fired them to a 1-0 win over Mirandela in the third round on October 19.

© Imago / Avant Sports

As for Braga, they avoided a major upset in their opening cup game back in October, when they scraped a 1-0 victory over Campeonato de Portugal side Braganca thanks to an 84th-minute strike from Ricardo Horta.

Carlos Vicens’s men were made to work their socks off in the fourth round on November 23, when they avoided a second-half comeback scare to secure a 4-2 victory over Primeira Liga side Nacional at the Estadio Municipal de Braga.

Braga head into Tuesday’s matchup fresh off the back of a 1-0 defeat away to Estoril Praia in their Primeira Liga clash at the weekend, with former youth team player Andre Lacximicant netting for Estoril at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

Os Arcebispos were unbeaten in their previous seven matches across all competitions, claiming one draw and six wins, including a 1-0 victory over French side Nice in the Europa League, where they sit seventh in the table with 13 points from six matches.

Caldas Taca de Portugal form:

Caldas form (all competitions):

Braga Taca de Portugal form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Caldas remain without veteran midfielder Santos, who has missed each of the last three games since picking up an injury against Amora on November 30.

Other than that, the home side head into Tuesday’s clash with a clean bill of health, giving Vala the luxury of a full strength squad to select from.

Meanwhile, Braga will have to cope without the services of 26-year-old Sikou Niakate, who is currently on international duty with Mali at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

On the injury front, Jonatas Noro is recuperating from an Achilles tendon injury, while Amine El Ouazzani has missed the last two matches since coming off injured against Nice on December 11.

They are joined on Os Arcebispos’ injury table by 18-year-old striker Sandro Vidigal, who is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game through a muscle problem.

Caldas possible starting lineup:

Soares; Maneta, Ricardo, Carreira; Alexandre, Ferreira, Palmerio, Monteiro; Chaves, Clemente, Tarzan

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Carvalho, Arrey-Mbi; Gomez, Gorby, Moutinho, Martinez; Zalazar, Victor, Rodrigues

We say: Caldas X-Y Braga

With their run of four consecutive victories coming to an end in a somewhat disappointing defeat against Estoril at the weekend, Braga will be looking to quickly bounce back and continue their quest for a fourth Taca de Portugal title.

Vicens’s men take on an out-of-sorts Caldas side, who have lost each of their last four matches, and we are backing them to come away with a comfortable victory.

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