Preview: Braga vs. Gil Vicente - prediction, team news, lineups

The Gilistas head into the weekend looking to snap their run of four consecutive games without a win and move into the top half of the Primeira Liga standings.

Match preview

Braga turned in a performance of the highest quality in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final clash with Nacional as they thrashed the Segunda Liga side 5-0 on Wednesday.

In a one-sided affair at the Estadio da Madeira, Simon Banza and Valencia loanee Uros Racic put the Alvinegros to the sword as they grabbed two goals each to cap off a stellar team performance.

With one foot firmly in the cup final, Braga now turn their sights to the Primeira Liga, where they are currently in a heated race with Porto for a top-two finish and an automatic spot in next season's Champions League.

Artur Jorge's side, whose last Champions League appearance came in the 2012-13 campaign, have picked up 62 points from their 27 games so far to sit third in the Primeira Liga table, two points off second-placed Porto.

Braga have won four of their last five league matches, with March's goalless draw with Porto being the exception, while they are unbeaten at home since November's 1-0 loss to Casa Pia, claiming six wins and one draw in that time.

Os Arcebispos' impressive campaign has been owing to the solid job done at both ends of the pitch, as they have scored 60 goals so far, with only league leaders Benfica scoring more, and boast the division's second-highest clean sheet tally (14).

Gil Vicente, on the other hand, were involved in a share of the spoils for the second consecutive game as they played out a goalless draw with Chaves last Monday.

While both sides had several goalscoring opportunities at Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, they were let down by a toothless display in front of goal before settling for a point apiece.

Prior to that, Gil Vicente turned in a solid defensive performance as they held fourth-placed Sporting Lisbon to a goalless draw to end their run of two back-to-back defeats.

The Gilistas, who have now picked up just two points from the last 12 since their 2-0 win over Maritimo on March 5, are currently 13th in the league table, but victory on Sunday could see them move level on 34 points with 10th-placed Rio Ave.

However, Daniel Sousa's men face the daunting challenge of facing a rampant Braga side who are unbeaten in 15 of their last 17 meetings, claiming 11 wins and four draws since September 2011.

Braga Primeira Liga form:

L

W

W

D

W

W

Braga form (all competitions):

W

W

D

W

W

W

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

W

W

L

L

D

D

Team News

Following an emphatic team performance against Nacional, Jorge could name a similar side on Sunday, with the back four of Victor Gomez, Sikou Niakate, Vitor Tormena and Cristian Borja shielding Matheus Lima in goal.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Banza, who was involved in four of the five goals in the cup tie, should spearhead the hosts' attack once again, alongside former Benfica striker Pizzi.

Ricardo Horta and Iuri Medeiros should provide more threat in the final third, while we expect Ali Al-Musrati and Andre Horta to retain their roles at the centre of the park.

As for Gil Vicente, Sousa will be unable to call upon Ali Alipour, who scored seven league goals last season, after the Iranian striker picked up an injury in February.

Experienced goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk came off with a muscle problem in the 1-0 win over Famalicao on February 12 and the 32-year-old is also out of contention for the Gilistas.

Tomas Araujo will also sit out the trip to the Estadio Braga Municipal through a one-match suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Chaves.

In the absence of the Benfica loanee, 22-year-old centre-back Manuel Lopes should come into the fold, forming the back four with Carraca, Ruben Fernandes and Spanish left-back Adrian Marin.

Braga possible starting lineup:

Lima; Gomez, Niakate, Tormena, Borja; Medeiros, Al-Musrati, A Horta, R Horta; Banza, Pizzi

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Andrew; Carraca, Lopes, Fernandes, Marin; Carvalho, Aburjania; Souza, Fujimoto, Douglas; Navarro

We say: Braga 2-0 Gil Vicente

While Gil Vicente have run out of steam in recent weeks, Braga are currently firing on all cylinders and will be looking to return to the automatic Champions League spot. Jorge's side are unbeaten at home post-World Cup and we are tipping them to claim a comfortable win on Sunday.

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