Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Gil Vicentevs.Braga

sportsmole.co.uk, 30 August 2024, 21:21
Fresh off the back of securing their spot in the Europa League, Braga journey to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos to take on Gil Vicente in round four of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.

The hosts have failed to win any of the last four meetings between the two sides since, losing three and claiming one draw, and will head into the weekend looking to get one over Os Arcebispos.

Match preview

Gil Vicente were denied consecutive Primeira Liga wins for the first time this season as they played out a goalless draw with Estoril Praia when the sides squared off last Sunday.

The Gilistas were guilty of a wasteful display in front of goal as they failed to finish off multiple clear-cut chances at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota before settling for a share of the spoils.

Prior to that, Gil Vicente kicked off the season with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Porto on August 10, six days before claiming a 4-2 home victory over newly-promoted AVS courtesy of a hat-trick from Kanya Fujimoto and Jorge Aguirre's 37th-minute strike.

Despite the result at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, head coach Bruno Pinheiro will be impressed with his side's start to the new campaign as they look to improve on their 12th-placed finish from last term.

Gil Vicente managed just nine Primeira Liga wins last season while losing 16 and claiming nine draws to collect 36 points and finish 12th in the table, just four points above the relegation zone.

Braga, on the other hand, turned in a resilient team display in midweek as they fought back from two goals down to salvage a vital 2-2 draw with Rapid Vienna in their Europa League playoff second-leg clash at the Allianz Stadion and book their spot in the Europa League.

Having secured a 2-1 first-leg victory at the Estadio Braga Municipal on August 22, Braga found themselves behind in the tie on Thursday after a first-half own goal from Bright Arrey-Mbi and Isak Jansson's 47th-minute strike put Rapids two goals up, but Amine El Ouazzani and Ricardo Horta scored in a two-minute spell to turn the tie on its head.

Carlos Carvalhal's men now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the campaign, picking up seven points from the first nine available while scoring five goals and conceding twice so far.

Having kicked off the season with a 1-1 draw against Estrela Amadora on August 11, a 40th-minute strike from Roberto Fernandez fired Braga to a 1-0 victory against Boavista at the Estadio do Bessa on August 18, one week before beating Moreirense 3-1 on home turf.

With Thursday's stalemate against Rapid, Os Arcebispos have now gone unbeaten in each of their nine matches across all competitions this season, picking up six wins and three draws while scoring 18 goals and keeping four clean sheets.

Braga will be backing themselves to maintain their impressive start to the season on Sunday as they journey to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, where they are unbeaten in their last six visits, picking up three wins and three draws since losing 1-0 in September 2013.

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

Gil Vicente form (all competitions):

W

L

D

L

W

D

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

W

D

Team News

Barring any late fitness issues, Gil Vicente head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Pinheiro the luxury of a full strength squad at his disposal.

Having kept their first clean sheet of the season, we expect an unchanged back four of Ze Carlos, Jonathan Buatu-Mananga, Ruben Fernandes and Sandro Cruz, with Fujimoto, Mory Gbane and Maxime Dominguez retaining their roles in midfield.

Former Osasuna man Aguirre, who completed a move to the Gilistas this summer, should spearhead the attack once again alongside 23-year-old Felix Correia and French forward Tidjany Toure.

As for Braga, Carvalhal will be unable to call upon the services of 29-year-old forward Bruma, who has missed the last two matches since coming off injured against Rapid Vienna on August 22.

Rodrigo Zalazar has been on song for Os Arcebispos and the Uruguayan midfielder, who has nine goal involvements across all competitions this season, will be one to keep an eye on.

He should form the midfield trio with Vitor Carvalho and Andre Horta, while Victor Gomez, Bright Arrey-Mbi, Robson Bambu and Adrian Marin should team up at the defensive end of the pitch for the fourth consecutive game.

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Andrew; Ze Carlos, Buatu-Mananga, Fernandes, Cruz; Fujimoto, Gbane, Dominguez; Toure, Aguirre, Correia

Braga possible starting lineup:

Matheus; Gomez, Arrey-Mbi, Bambu, Marin; Zalazar, Carvalho, Horta; Martinez, Jaen, Horta

We say: Gil Vicente 1-3 Braga

With the thrill from securing Europa League football still in the air, Braga will head into the weekend in high spirits and they look to maintain their solid early-season form. While we expect Gil Vicente to put up a fight, we are tipping Os Arcebispos to come away with a narrow victory.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.