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

With just two points separating the first four sides in the league, the winner of this match will move to the top of the standings overnight until Sporting Lisbon take on Porto on Monday night.

Match preview

Braga's Champions League journey for this season officially ended after their 2-0 loss to Napoli in midweek, and there is nothing they would love more than to bounce back from that by taking pole position in the league, even if it is just for 24 hours.

The Arsenalists will return to league action, where they have been very good this season, currently boasting a record of nine wins, two draws and just two losses, leaving them one point behind their opponents on Sunday.

Artur Jorge's side's last league match ended in a 3-1 victory over Vizela and was their fourth win in a row and their eighth consecutive match unbeaten dating back to mid-September.

During that time, Braga scored two or more goals in seven matches and are now the highest-scoring side in the top flight with 36, which is eight more than league leaders Sporting have recorded this term.

However, they now face their toughest opponent over that period, although they will be confident, having beaten them 3-0 at this venue last season.

Meanwhile, Benfica suffered the same fate as their opponents in Europe, and they will join Braga in the Europa League in the New Year, making Porto the only Primeira Liga side heading to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The defending league champions got the season started with an unexpected loss to Boavista but quickly found top gear after that and have not lost any of the 12 matches since then leading up to this one.

However, after taking the lead in the league standings by beating Sporting Lisbon heading into the international break, the Eagles returned from the break with a 0-0 draw to Moreirense and then dropped another two points in a 1-1 draw against Farense at home last week.

Those results saw them quickly relinquish their spot atop the standings, although they have won five of their last six matches on the road and kept clean sheets in each of their last three.

Roger Schmidt will know that a positive result will be huge for his side here as they enter a favourable run of fixtures with their next match against a top-four opponent (Porto) only scheduled for March 2024.

Braga Primeira Liga form:

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Braga form (all competitions):

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Benfica Primeira Liga form:

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Benfica form (all competitions):

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Team News

Alvaro Djalo was flagged with a knock for the trip to Napoli, but that seems to have been a precautionary move, as the attacker is expected to return to the starting lineup for this one.

Simon Banza will likely lead the line and has been red-hot in recent weeks, bagging six goals in his last three league outings and leading the top scorer charts with 13 goals this season.

Benfica have three injured absentees for this match, but thankfully for Schmidt, none of them are fresh concerns.

Alexander Bah (foot), David Neres (meniscus) and Juan Bernat (adductor) are the three players that are on the treatment table, though the latter could return to action in the New Year.

Angel Di Maria is the top-scorer in the league for Benfica this season and will form part of the midfield attacking trio alongside Rafa Silva and Joao Mario, with Casper Tengstedt leading the line.

Braga possible starting lineup:

Lima; Mendes, Saatci, Oliveira, Borja; Carvalho, Zalazar, Horta, Pizzi, Djalo; Banza

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Morato; Neves, Kokcu; Di Maria, Silva, Mario; Tengstedt

We say: Braga 3-2 Benfica

With two of the best attacks in the league on display, this could end up being a goal fest. Braga have been scoring for fun in recent weeks, and while Benfica's league form has been average since the international break, they tend to show up in this fixture. We are expecting a very entertaining match here but feel that the hosts may just outscore The Eagles in this one.

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