Preview: Casa Pia vs Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

Braga have another opportunity to tighten their grip on fourth place in the Primeira Liga table as they travel to Casa Pia for their rescheduled matchday 26 fixture on Thursday.

Currently five points clear of fifth-placed Famalicao, victory for the Archbishops here would extend that gap to eight, while the 16th-placed hosts sit two points adrift of safety and could climb to 14th with a win.

Match preview

Entering last weekend’s all-Minho encounter five points clear of Famalicao, Braga would have relished the chance to widen the gap to their fifth-placed visitors, but the Archbishops were instead left scrambling to avoid defeat.

In a contest where Carlos Vicens’ men took the lead through Fran Navarro inside two minutes, goals from Gil Dias and Rafa Soares turned the game on its head, leaving them staring down defeat before a 99th-minute penalty from Ricardo Horta rescued a 2-2 draw.

Braga are now unbeaten in five games across all competitions (W3, D2), a run that has seen the Arsenalistas reach the Europa League semi-finals for the first time since 2010-11, while also extending their top-flight sequence to three matches without a loss (W2, D1).

Already destined to finish outside the top three, the Archbishops sit a staggering 18 points behind third-placed Sporting Lisbon with five games remaining and will instead focus on securing fourth place once again, having finished there in 10 of the last 15 campaigns, including last term.

That said, Braga will be confident of claiming victory on Thursday, given they have won three of their last four away league matches (L1), two of which came against bottom-two sides AVS and Tondela, underlining their authority against relegation-threatened opposition.

Meanwhile, Casa Pia’s late-season survival battle has been shaped by their struggles to secure wins, as Alvaro Pacheco’s side are currently on a seven-game winless run (D4, L3), with only already-relegated AVS enduring a longer drought in the division.

Alternating between draws and defeats across their last five outings, the Geese enter this encounter following a goalless stalemate against Santa Clara, further highlighting their issues in the final third.

Casa Pia have now failed to score in five of their last nine matches, with their tally of 28 goals the fourth-fewest in the division, while only AVS (62) and Arouca (58) have conceded more than Os Gansos’ 52 in the league this season.

However, the Geese have been solid on home soil, where they are unbeaten in seven matches (W2, D5), a run that includes a victory over leaders Porto and a draw against Benfica, and Pacheco’s men will be aiming to deliver another strong display against top-four opposition.

There is further encouragement in the fact that Casa Pia won their most recent home meeting with Braga, meaning they have claimed victory in two of the last three encounters between the sides, although Os Gansos did suffer a 4-0 defeat in this season’s reverse fixture.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Team News

Casa Pia are set to be without long-term absentee Kiki Silva once again as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, while goalkeeper Ricardo Batista has remained sidelined since February.

Veteran defender Jose Fonte, who has missed the last three matchday squads, is a major doubt, while Xander Severina has also been unavailable across the last 11 matches.

Meanwhile, on-loan attacker Joao Marques is ineligible to face his parent club, so he will play no part here, with Dailon Livramento, Tiago Morais or Korede Osundina in contention to feature on the left side of the attack.

Cassiano is expected to lead the line once again and will be aiming to rediscover his scoring touch after failing to find the net in his last five appearances.

As for Braga, Adrian Barisic is still dealing with a muscle injury, while Sikou Niakate remains sidelined with an Achilles tendon issue.

Midfielder Diego Rodrigues will also miss out due to an ankle problem, while Bright Arrey-Mbi could be absent for a second successive match through physical discomfort.

Despite returning from a muscle injury as an unused substitute in a previous outing, Rodrigo Zalazar was absent from the squad last weekend, casting doubt over his availability for Thursday.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Sequeira; Goulart, Kaly, Sousa; Larrazabal, Mohamed, Brito, Rosas; Livolant, Cassiano, Livramento

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, V Carvalho, Moscardo; Gomez, Gorby, Grillitsch, Lelo; Tiknaz, Horta; Victor

We say: Casa Pia 1-1 Braga

While Casa Pia have been unconvincing in recent weeks, they have remained resilient on home soil, and we expect the Geese to prove a tough side to break down on Thursday, particularly with survival still at stake.

Braga have also not always found this fixture straightforward, so we are backing a draw here, in line with each of the hosts’ last three home matches.

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