Sporting Braga welcome Arouca to Estadio Municipal de Braga for a Primeira Liga matchday 28 clash on Saturday.
The hosts are coming off an eight-goal thriller away to Portimonense. Bruma and Simon Banza each scored braces for the Archbishops while Roger Fernandes also found the back of the net. Pedrao, Hildeberto Pereira and Taichi Fukui scored for Portimonense.
Arouca, meanwhile, claimed maximum points with a 2-1 home win over SC Farense. Tiago Esgaio and Cristo scored in either half for the Arouquenses while Bruno Duarte scored what proved to be a consolation strike in the 87th minute.
The victory left them in seventh spot, having garnered 37 points from 27 games. Braga are fourth with 56 points to show for their efforts in 27 games.
Braga vs Arouca Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the 17th clash between the two sides. Braga have 11 wins to their name, and four games ended in draws while Arouca were victorious once.
- Their most recent meeting came in November 2023 when Braga claimed a 1-0 away win.
- Fourteen of Arouca's last 16 league games have produced three goals or more.
- Five of the last six head-to-head games have seen one side fail to find the back of the net.
- Eight of Braga's last nine games in all competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Six of Arouca's last seven away games have been decided by a one-goal margin.
- Seven of Braga's last nine games across competitions have witnessed more goals in the second half than the first.
Braga vs Arouca Prediction
Braga host Arouca as the favorites in this game and will be aiming to win a fourth successive game in front of their fans. The Archbishops recently announced the departure of long-term manager and club legend Artur Jorge to manage Brazilian outfit Botafogo.
New manager Rui Duarte has big shoes to fill and will hope to kick-start his tenure with victory. Arouca have punched above their weight this season but they have a poor record in this fixture.
Games involving both sides this season have tended to be high-scoring and they will each go all out for the win. We are backing the home side to claim a narrow win with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Braga 2-1 Arouca
Braga vs Arouca Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Braga to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Highest scoring half: Second half