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Braga will welcome Napoli to the Estádio Municipal de Braga in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday.
The two teams have been drawn alongside Real Madrid and Union Berlin in a tricky Group C, so it will be interesting to see which two teams will book their places in the knockout stage.
The hosts are back in the Champions League after 11 seasons and secured their berth via the playoffs, defeating Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate last month. They saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end on Saturday, as they fell to a 3-1 defeat in their away game at Farense.
The visitors are winless in their last two league outings and were held to a 2-2 draw by Genoa in their away game on Sunday. While they dropped points in their previous outing, they did fight back from two goals down to earn a point, with substitutes Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano scoring late in the game.
Braga vs Napoli Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time in a competitive match, though, both the hosts and visitors have met Italian and Portuguese teams respectively, prior to this match. They met in a friendly in 2012, in which Napoli recorded a 3-1 home win.
- The hosts have just three wins in their 12 meetings against Italian opponents and fell to a 7-2 defeat on aggregate to Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs last season.
- They have suffered six defeats and three games have ended in draws.
- The visitors have also met Portuguese opponents 12 times in all competitions. They have a good record in these games with seven wins, two defeats, and three draws.
- They have met the so-called 'Big Three' of Portuguese football - Benfica, Sporting, and Porto. They defeated Benfica 6-3 on aggregate in the 2016-17 Champions League group stage.
Braga vs Napoli Prediction
The Arcebispos have suffered one defeat in four home games this season, recording two wins. They scored 10 goals and conceded three in their four games in the Champions League qualifiers in August and will look to continue that form in this match.
They had an almost-full-strength squad in their league defeat against Farense on Saturday. It was an away game, so they'll look to bounce back in this home match against the reigning Italian champions.
The Partenopei are winless in their last two games, conceding two goals in both outings. They have just one win in their last five away games in all competitions.
With both teams having a full-strength squad at their disposal for the match, we expect them to field a strong starting XI. Considering their current form, a draw might ensue.
Prediction: Braga 2-2 Napoli
Braga vs Napoli Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the first half - Yes
Tip 4: Álvaro Djaló to score or assist any time - Yes
