Preview: Estoril Praia vs Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides with contrasting momentum will square off in Friday’s Primeira Liga round 15 opener as in-form Braga head south to face out-of-sorts Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

While the Archbishops have swept aside their last four league opponents, the Lisbon-based hosts have not recorded a single victory in three top-flight games and four across all competitions.

Match preview

Estoril did enjoy their best run from early October through to the first week of November, going five games without defeat – four of which came in the league (W2, D2) – but have since slipped back into their early-season struggles after the international break.

The Canaries’s current winless run began with a Taca de Portugal exit via a 2-1 setback at home to Famalicao, followed by a league loss to leaders Porto, before surrendering a two-goal advantage to settle for a share of the spoils against Moreirense.

A second meeting with Fama in the space of three weeks ended on an even more damaging note, as Ian Cathro’s men suffered their heaviest defeat in over a year, falling 4-0 in last weekend’s league clash at Vila Nova.

Estoril have now lost six of their opening 14 fixtures of the top-flight campaign, while three victories and five draws in that sequence leave the Canaries 14th in the Primeira Liga table and just four points above the relegation playoff spot.

With 22 goals scored in the league this season, Cathro’s men have shown they can be a potent force in attack, but their weakness lies at the back, having conceded three more and kept just one clean sheet in those 14 outings.

Home form has also offered little comfort for Estoril, with only two victories from seven league games this season, while three defeats in that run indicate a point on Friday would be a welcome result against the in-form visitors.

Braga are indeed in red-hot form, having won six of their last seven games across all competitions (D1), with all four of their Primeira Liga outings in that spell ending in victory, including a 1-0 success over Santa Clara at the weekend.

Ricardo Horta’s 42nd-minute strike proved decisive against the Azorean visitors, securing a seventh victory of the top-flight campaign for Carlos Vicens’s men and adding another layer to their resurgence.

Braga had previously endured a six-game winless run in the league (D4, L2), with their only victory in eight coming against Casa Pia, while the ongoing streak has also seen the Archbishops record wins over Moreirense (2-1), Arouca (4-0) and Famalicao (2-1).

Head coach Vicens will be encouraged by this upturn, which has lifted his side to fifth in the standings, just behind fourth-placed Gil Vicente due to an unfavourable head-to-head record.

Victory on Friday would therefore take Braga into the top four, at least temporarily, pending Gil’s own matchday 15 meeting with Rio Ave a day after, and the Archbishops can take confidence from having won 10 of their last 13 league meetings with Estoril (D3).

Providing a further boost is an improved showing on the road, with Braga winning each of their last three away games across all competitions, two of which came in the league, after managing just one victory in the previous five (D3, L1).

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Estoril Praia form (all competitions):

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Team News

Estoril will once again be without midfielder Xeka, who continues his long recovery from a knee injury, while Goncalo Costa could miss a third successive outing.

Winger Rafik Guitane has returned following Algeria’s elimination from the Arab Cup, while Nodar Lominadze could again feature after a substitute appearance last time out, having been omitted from the squad in the previous three matches.

After witnessing his side’s defensive collapse last weekend, Cathro could shuffle his pack at the back, with at least one of Ferro, Pedro Carvalho or Tiago Parente potentially benefitting from that adjustment.

Patrick de Paula could also return to the starting XI if the manager opts for a change in midfield, while Estoril’s leading league scorer, Yanis Begraoui, who has six goals, should retain his place in the number nine role.

Braga will be without Sikou Niakate, whose hopes of featuring at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations were dented by a muscle injury sustained last time out, with the 26-year-old set to be assessed in the Mali camp amid reports he could be sidelined for three to four weeks.

The visitors also remain without 20-year-old defender Jonatas Noro, who is still sidelined with an Achilles tendon issue, while Amine El Ouazzani is expected to miss a second consecutive match through injury.

Vicens could otherwise name a similar lineup, with Fran Navarro leading the line and Horta supported by Florian Grillitsch, although Pau Victor could return to the starting XI should the manager opt for a more natural wide attacker.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; Ferro, Boma, Bacher; Amaral, Lominadze, Holsgrove, Sanchez; Guitane, Begraoui, J Carvalho

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Oliveira, Lagerbielke, Arrey-Mbi; Lelo, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez; Victor, Navarro, Horta

We say: Estoril Praia 1-2 Braga

Estoril have conceded 13 times across their last five matches in all competitions, and those defensive lapses could again prove costly against an in-form Braga side that has averaged two goals per game across their last four outings.

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