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Braga
Europa League | Quarter-Finals | 1st Leg
Apr 7, 2022 at 8pm UK
Estádio Municipal de Braga
Rangers logo

Braga
1 - 0
Rangers

Ruiz (40')
Carmo (22')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Jack (36')

Preview: Braga vs. Rangers - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's Europa League clash between Braga and Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Braga and Rangers square off at Estadio Municipal de Braga on Thursday evening looking to take another step towards surprise success in the Europa League.

Both clubs have already upset the odds in this competition, Braga getting the better of Monaco over two legs in the last 16 and Rangers pulling off the shock of the competition by defeating Borussia Dortmund in the playoff round.


Match preview

Rangers' Scott Arfield celebrates after the match with teammates on March 17, 2022© Reuters

The priority for Rangers this season has been to retain the Scottish Premiership title and to build on their dominance over Celtic in the previous campaign.

However, as a result of Sunday's 2-1 defeat in the Old Firm derby, Rangers now sit six points adrift of their fierce rivals, seemingly making it highly likely that they will give up the trophy that they won last year.

The two teams renew acquaintances in the Scottish Cup on Sunday, but boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be solely focused on progressing further in Europe given the effort that it has taken to reach this stage.

On the back of beating Dortmund in the first knockout round, Rangers were able to repel a second-leg bombardment from Red Star Belgrade to eventually prevail 4-2 on aggregate.

Nevertheless, defeat in Serbia means that Rangers have now lost two of their last three outings in all competitions, while just five victories have come from 10 fixtures.

Braga's Abel Ruiz celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on March 17, 2022© Reuters

Sitting 24 points adrift of leaders Porto, Braga have endured a disappointing year in Primeira Liga, Carlos Carvalhal aware that fourth position is the best that the club can realistically hope for come the end of the campaign.

However, Braga pulled off one of their best results of 2021-22 last time out, withstanding a second-half Benfica comeback to prevail by a 3-2 scoreline.

For a team that has been so inconsistent since last August, it was an eye-catching result, and one which will give Os Arcebispos every confidence that they can gain a first-leg advantage over their next opponents.

Braga's best performances in this competition came against Monaco in the previous round, the Portuguese outfit backing up a 2-0 victory in the first leg with a 1-1 draw on away territory.

In their five home European fixtures this season, they have scored 12 goals, a statistic which will not go unnoticed by Rangers ahead of this game.

Braga Europa League form:
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • D

Braga form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W

Rangers Europa League form:
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L

Rangers form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L



Team News

 Rangers' Alfredo Morelos celebrates scoring their second goal, November 25, 2021© Reuters

Rangers will again be without Alfredo Morelos after the forward sustained a thigh injury while on international duty.

Glen Kamara could be brought back into the team to replace John Lundstram, but Kemar Roofe should retain his place in attack ahead of Fashion Sakala.

Despite his team's impressive showing against Benfica last time out, Carvalhal is likely to make a couple of changes to his Braga XI.

Having replaced Abel Ruiz at half time and scored the decisive goal, Vitor Oliveira could get the nod down the middle of the attack.

Fabiano and Yan Couto are fighting it out for the right wing-back position, while Diogo Leite is an option in a three-man defence.

Braga possible starting lineup:
Matheus; P. Oliveira, Carmo, Tormena; Y. Couto, Musrati, A. Horta, Gomes; Medeiros, R. Horta; V. Oliveira

Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Bassey; Jack, Kamara; Aribo, Ramsey, Kent; Roofe


SM words green background

We say: Braga 1-1 Rangers

Both clubs will fancy their chances of further progression, something which should lead to a relatively open game in Portugal. Nevertheless, there may come a point in the contest where both clubs will settle for a draw ahead of the second leg, and a low-scoring share of the spoils could play out at Estadio Municipal de Braga.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Darren Plant

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rangers win with a probability of 40.67%. A win for Braga had a probability of 32.75% and a draw had a probability of 26.6%.

The most likely scoreline for a Rangers win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.6%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.59%) and 0-2 (7.21%). The likeliest Braga win was 1-0 (9.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.63%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.3% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Braga vs Rangers

Braga
47.3%
Draw
16.2%
Rangers
36.5%
334
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 Rangers' Alfredo Morelos celebrates scoring their second goal, November 25, 2021
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