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

Two sides with contrasting ambitions at opposite ends of the Primeira Liga table will lock horns in Madeira on Saturday as relegation-threatened Nacional play host to top-four-chasing Braga.

The Minho visitors, who look to tighten their grip on fourth place, sit two points clear of Gil Vicente in fifth, while the hosts are 14th, just three points above the playoff spot.

Match preview

Having been displaced from fourth by Gil Vicente — who prevailed when the sides met in the previous gameweek — Braga reclaimed the position last weekend after the Roosters slipped to defeat at Estrela Amadora, a day after the Archbishops’s thrilling Minho derby triumph.

Carlos Vicens’s side were pegged back twice as strikes from Rodrigo Zalazar and Ricardo Horta were cancelled out, but the pair combined again in the 57th minute, allowing former to claim his second of the evening and seal a 3–2 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes.

That success offered a measure of redemption after January’s Taca da Liga final defeat to the same opponent, a disappointment compounded by a subsequent Portuguese Cup exit at the hands of lower-division AD Fafe.

Since then, however, the Archbishops have won six of their eight matches across all competitions (D1, L1) — a sequence that secured direct passage to the Europa League last 16 — while only Sporting Lisbon (16) and Benfica (16) have collected more league points than Braga’s 15 across the last six outings.

The Archbishops will be confident of extending their impressive run as they face a Nacional side they have beaten in 11 of their last 13 competitive encounters (D1, L1), including each of their five most recent visits to Madeira.

Braga are, however, at risk of suffering their first league double in this fixture since the 2012–13 campaign, having lost 1–0 in the reverse meeting in Minho back in November.

Looking far from a side capable of completing that feat, Nacional have managed just two victories in 15 Primeira Liga matches (D5, L8) since late October, during a spell that also included a Portuguese Cup exit to these same opponents.

Tiago Margarido’s men enter this contest following a 3–0 defeat at Arouca, a match that saw players from both sides dismissed, with Chiheb Labidi’s 51st-minute red card compounding the Madeirans’s woes, while Hyunju Lee’s late dismissal had no bearing on the outcome for the hosts.

That setback means the White-and-Blacks have now lost five of their eight matches in 2026 (W1, D2), remaining winless in their last four (D1, L3), and it further highlighted their struggles in the final third, with Nacional failing to score in each of their three most recent outings.

For all their difficulties, the Madeirans have shown some resilience on home soil, losing just one of their last five league games there (W2, D2) — against leaders Porto — and the hosts will hope that solidity proves significant on Saturday as they attempt to steer clear of danger.

Nacional Primeira Liga form:

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

Team News

With Labidi suspended for Saturday’s clash, Nacional will at least welcome back a key midfield presence after Liziero missed the defeat at Arouca due to an accumulation of bookings.

Ze Victor collected his fifth caution of the campaign in that encounter, leaving head coach Margarido with further defensive concerns, particularly with Ulisses and Ivanildo Fernandes still sidelined through injury.

Midfielder Filipe Soares, who has been out since November, is expected to remain unavailable; Joao Aurelio could miss a sixth successive outing, while left-back Jose Gomes is also a doubt after sitting out the previous match.

Braga reported no fresh injury concerns from the Minho derby, although Amine El Ouazzani (foot) and Jean-Baptiste Gorby (muscle) remain absent.

Centre-back Sikou Niakite continues to recover from a muscle issue sustained in January, while Vitor Carvalho could miss a fifth consecutive fixture.

Zalazar has now been directly involved in seven goals across his last six league appearances, while Horta has registered six strikes and four assists in his previous five Primeira Liga outings, and both will again look to provide the cutting edge in attack.

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Vallier, Santos, Goncalves, Nunez; Liziero, M Dias, Baeza; Goncalves,Veron, Ramirez, Boia

Braga possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Barisic, Arrey-Mbi; V Gomez, Moutinho, Grillitsch, D Rodrigues; Zalazar, P Victor, Horta

We say: Nacional 1-2 Braga

Braga have won five of their 11 away league matches this season (D4, L3), showing occasional inconsistency on their travels, but the Archbishops appear well placed to claim maximum points against struggling opposition.

Nacional have struggled in front of goal in recent outings, though the return of Liziero — one of their chief creative outlets with four assists — should offer some encouragement, and the hosts may well find the net even if the visitors ultimately prevail.

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