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

Preview: Casa Pia vs. Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 28 December 2023, 21:16
Braga will look to bounce back to winning ways in the Primeira Liga when they head to Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior to take on Casa Pia on Saturday evening.

The hosts are currently in 10th place in the league standings with 16 points after the first 14 matches, while the visitors are fourth with 29 points earned over the same period.

Match preview

After making a very good debut in the top flight last season when they finished inside the top 10, Casa Pia took their time to get going this season and looked likely to spend the season battling the drop.

However, the Geese have shown improvement this month and have managed to secure two crucial victories that have seen them open up a four-point gap between themselves and the drop zone heading into this match.

Filipe Martins's side put on a very good performance last week to beat a struggling Chaves 3-1 on the road, thanks to a brace from Clayton on either side of a goal from Tiago Dias in the first half.

They also managed a 1-0 win against Portimonense at the start of the month, though notably, that was the first victory they recorded on home soil this term, with each of their other three wins coming on the road.

The hosts' major issue this season has been their attacking output as they currently possess the league's worst goal tally, with 13 to date, though they have been good in defence, conceding just 15, which is the same number as Sporting Lisbon have let in.

Meanwhile, Braga are involved in a heated battle at the top of the Primeira Liga table and head into this match five points behind the league leaders, while Vitoria Guimaraes have pulled level with them on 29 points.

The Arsenalists were unbeaten in eight matches from mid-September until two weeks ago, recording seven wins and a draw in that time, which saw them move up to second place and just one point behind the leaders.

However, they were unable to capitalize on their good work, losing 1-0 to Benfica last time out, and with that, they passed up the opportunity to remain in the Europa League qualification spot at Christmas.

Nevertheless, Artur Jorge's side are still carrying a four-match away unbeaten streak into this match, including three wins and a draw, while they have only suffered one defeat in seven games on the road so far this season.

The last encounter between these sides ended in a 1-1 draw but Braga did win 1-0 at this venue in the league last season and are the firm favourites to claim another three points in this one.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

D

L

L

W

L

W

Casa Pia form (all competitions):

L

L

L

W

L

W

Braga Primeira Liga form:

D

W

W

W

W

L

Braga form (all competitions):

D

W

W

L

L

W

Advert - content below:

Team News

After a fairly lengthy period on the sideline, Rafael Brito returned to the squad last week against Chaves, albeit as an unused substitute, and will be hoping to return to the starting lineup for this one.

The only injury absentee for the hosts at the moment is Kiki Silva, who has yet to feature this season and is only expected to return from an Achilles injury in the New Year.

Clayton's brace in the last match should earn him another start in attack, and he will be joined in the three-man front line by Yuki Soma and Felippe Cardoso.

Jorge resisted the temptation to rotate his squad, making just two changes for their Taca da Liga match against Nacional last week, which means we should see a fairly similar lineup on Saturday.

One of the changes, though, was the inclusion of Sikou Niakate, who came up with a goal in the match and will be hoping that was enough to keep him in the starting 11 for this one.

In terms of injuries, Alvaro Djalo is the only player on the treatment table for the visitors due to a muscle injury, and he is only likely to return to action in the next month.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Batista; Varela, Zolotic, Dias; Larrazabal, Mukendi, Neto, Lelo; Cardoso, Clayton, Soma

Braga possible starting lineup:

Matheus; Gomez, Saatci, Fonte, Borja; Moutinho, Zalazar; Bruma, Djalo, Horta; Banza

We say: Casa Pia 0-1 Braga

Braga have to keep churning out results to keep up with the likes of Benfica and Sporting, but this will not be an easy match for them. While Casa Pia have been poor in attack, their defensive performances have been very impressive, and they have only conceded more than one goal in a home game on one occasion this season. Braga will need to work for the points here, but we fancy them to get the job done, albeit by a slender margin.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 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 West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 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.