PORTIMONENSE v BRAGA
Primeira Liga
Thursday 10th January 2019
Kickoff: 2015hrs
Pick: Over 2.5
Bookmaker: Marathonbet
Odds: 1.81 (odds taken at 02:52 GMT, 09 Jan 2019
Thursday night is a little light on matches across Europe but we’ve managed to find a worthwhile betting opportunity in the Portuguese top flight when Portimonense take on Braga as the betting tips continue in the Primeira Liga.
Primeira Liga Betting at Marathonbet
Portimonense Prediction
Portimonense sit in 8th place in the Primeira Liga but find themselves 11 points adrift of fourth placed Sporting CP and the last remaining European spot ahead of their clash against second placed Braga at their Estádio Municipal de Portimão on Thursday evening.
Portimonense have registered a mixed bag of results in recent weeks as they’ve been unable to make up ground on the top four teams in the Portuguese top flight despite a run of three league wins on the trot with victories over Vitoria Setubal, Feirense and most impressive of all, a 2-0 home win over Benfica.
However, two defeats to Porto and Maritimo (both away from home) have meant that the hosts still sit some way off European contention, but with a home record that stands at a solid looking 5-2-1 18/12, they’ll fancy their chances of causing another upset on Thursday night.
The hosts have won five of their last six at home this term and with the likes of midfielder Paulinho (3 goals) and forwards Nakajima (5 goals) and Martinez (4 goals) up front, Portimonense could cause Braga a few problems here.
Braga Prediction
Onto Braga then, and the visitors occupy second place in the Primeira Liga but are still six points adrift of league leaders Porto as they make their way to Portimonense looking to reduce this deficit to just three points.
Overall, Braga have won five of their last six with wins against Moreirense, Tondela, Feirense, Maritimo and Boavista with their one loss being a heavy 6-2 loss away at third placed Benfica. Although the visitors have picked up 11 league wins so far this season, 8 of them have been achieved at their Estádio Municipal de Braga, while only 3 have come on their travels to date.
An away record of 3-2-2 11/11 suggests a hint of vulnerability on Braga’s part and Portimonense may well exploit the visitors’ inconsistent streak on the road on Thursday night.
It’s worth mentioning though, that Braga are not without a serious goal threat of their own as midfielder Horta (5 goals) along with forwards Sousa (11 goals) and Eduardo (7 goals) have been on form this season.
Betting Tips Verdict
This looks a hard one to call in terms of straight winner, but as both teams possess goalscoring ability, I’ll back goals in this one.
