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Nacional will entertain Braga at the Estádio da Madeira in the group stage of the Taca da Liga on Friday.
The hosts suffered a 2-1 loss to Casa Pia in their campaign opener in September. Witi broke the deadlock in the third minute to give Nacional the lead, but they gave away the advantage in the second half, with Clayton bagging the winner in injury time for Casa Pia.
The visitors were held to a 1-1 draw in their campaign opener, with Pizzi's 62nd-minute opener being canceled out by Clayton from the penalty spot in the 76th minute.
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The hosts registered a 5-0 win over Belenenses in the Liga Pro on Saturday to retain third place in the league table. The visitors have suffered back-to-back losses in their last two games, failing to score in these games as well.
Nacional vs Braga Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 45 times across all competitions since 1988. As expected, the visitors have dominated proceedings against the hosts with 25 wins to their name. The hosts have nine wins to their name and 11 games have ended in draws.
- They last met in the Taca de Portugal semi-finals in April, with the visitors recording a 7-2 win on aggregate.
- They have met just twice in Taca de Liga, with the visitors having a 100% record in these meetings with an aggregate score of 6-1.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last 14 meetings against the home team, recording 11 wins.
- Nacional have won eight of their last nine home games in all competitions.
- Braga are unbeaten in their last six away meetings against the hosts, keeping three clean sheets.
- The visitors have suffered two defeats in their last nine away games, with both coming in the UEFA Champions League.
Nacional vs Braga Prediction
Alvinegros have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 games across all competitions, recording eight wins. They are on a nine-game unbeaten run at home, scoring 25 goals while conceding four times in these games.
They cannot qualify for the next round as Casa Pia have four points to their name and Nacional have none. They can, however, spoil the visitors' party if they manage to pull off a draw.
Os Arcebispos need a win to book their place in the semi-finals but they have failed to score in their last two games, which is a cause for concern.
Al-Musrati is the only confirmed absentee for them with an injury he picked up against Napoli in the Champions League. They will play for the third time in nine days, so fatigue will be a factor.
Nonetheless, considering the visitors' advantage in recent meetings against the hosts and away record in this fixture, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Nacional 1-2 Braga
Nacional vs Braga Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Braga to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Simon Banza to score or assist any time - Yes
