Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
All eyes will be on Estadio da Luz when Benfica and Braga face each other in the Primeira Liga round 11. The Eagles dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with Estoril, and, no doubt, they want to return to winning ways as soon as possible. Uruguay international Nunez, who found the net in the Champions League loss (2-5) to Bayern Munchen, is pushing for a start, while all Almeida, Dias, Lazaro, Pinho, and Seferovic should miss out with injuries.
Braga, on the other hand, did well to crush Portimonense 3-0 in their last league match. Os Minhotos are eyeing their third consecutive win in the Portuguese top flight, and seeing that they are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach in Sunday’s clash, over 2.5 goals betting option should be considered. All Carmo, Piazon, and Tormena are likely to miss the game with injuries for the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Jan Vertonghen):
After spending four years at Ajax, in 2006 Jan Vertonghen signed a loan deal with RKC Waalwijk. The left-footed defender spent one season at Mandemakers Stadion and he returned to Ajax for the 2007/2008 season. The highly rated footballer, who is capable of playing as both centre back and left back, signed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur on 8 July, 2012 and he has been playing for the Premier League outfit ever since.
The Belgian defender scored four goals for the Spurs in the 2012/2013 Premier League season and he made 34 league appearances for the White Hart Lane outfit back then. In the 2015/2016 season Jan Vertonghen and his teammates were producing brilliant displays with Tottenham, but the Spurs eventually finished the campaign in third place in the standings.
Speaking of his international career, Vertonghen made it to both World Cup (2014) and Euro (2016) quarter-finals with the Belgian national team. Jan was born on 24 April, 1987 and his shirt number is 5.
Highlighted Team (Braga):
Braga are a Portuguese club that have always been in the shadow of Primeira Liga giants Porto, Benfica and Sporting. Os Minhotos were founded on 19 January, 1921 and they originally played in green and white kits. After the World War II they changed their kits to red and they have been wearing red shirts and white shorts ever since.
Braga play their home games at Estadio Municipal de Braga, the stadium that was opened in December, 2003. Os Minhotos have yet to win the Primeira Liga title, but they finished the 2009/2010 campaign in second position in the standings, just five points behind champions Benfica.
In 2011 Braga participated in the Europa League final, but fellow Portuguese outfit Porto proved to be a big catch for Os Minhotos. Anyhow, that is regarded as the club’s biggest success. Vitoria de Guimaraes are considered Braga’s bitter rivals and the two teams face each other in the Minho derby.