Braga – Nottingham Forest

The Portuguese team will not lose to the guests from Foggy Albion.

Braga has, over the past decade and a half, acquired the status of the full-fledged 'fourth power' in Portuguese football. Several times this team managed to break into the top three of the 'eternal' leaders of local football, which include Sporting, Benfica and Porto. Naturally, the consistently high positions allowed Braga to consistently participate in European competitions. Very rarely the team failed to reach the knockout stage of the tournaments it took part in, and the best result was the Europa League final in 2011. In the seventh round of the group stage, one of the most experienced clubs on its home turf will host one of the most 'green' in terms of their continental performances. Putting aside its long and storied history, in which Nottingham Forest has some truly golden pages, the English club had not appeared in European competitions for 30 years up to the current season. Even with a squad valued at around €600 million, Nottingham Forest does not have experience balancing the Premier League, domestic cups and the Europa League. This has repeatedly manifested itself in the current edition of the European tournament, including a home defeat to Midtjylland. Bookmakers have named the visitors favorites to win the upcoming match, offering odds of 2.53 for their victory. Braga will take the field at their home stadium as the seventh-placed team in the group stage. The task of the Portuguese side is to retain a place in the Top 8. For this, three points from the two remaining rounds are enough. Naturally, it's important to achieve this on home turf with a familiar opponent, and not postpone it to the eighth round, when they will have to face the highly motivated Go Ahead Eagles on Dutch soil. Nottingham Forest will arrive in Braga immediately after their match with Arsenal, in which the Forest heroically defended a goalless draw. And just two full days after the meeting in Portugal, they will have to play in London against Brentford, who have hit form. In the Europa League standings, Nottingham Forest sit in eleventh place. To finish in the Top 8, they need two wins in the remaining rounds. Is Sean Dyche ready to reallocate resources in favor of the Europa League, while hovering at the edge of the relegation zone in the Premier League? Very unlikely. In this regard, we will make a cautious bet in favor of the home team.