Sporting Braga V Maritimo
Monday 23rd September 2019 – 19:00 Kick-Off
Portuguese Primeira Liga
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: Boylesports
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/20 | 77/20 | 39/5 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 21st September 2019 at 12:50)
Preview: One of two Portuguese Primeira Liga fixtures taking place on Monday features two teams near the bottom of the standings. For Braga, though, that is unfamiliar territory, and they will no doubt be keen to make inroads up the table when they welcome Maritimo to their Estadio Municipal de Braga.
Portuguese Football Betting – 22Bet
Sporting Braga Preview – European success catalyst for revival?
Confidence should be oozing out of this Sporting Braga (4/11 with Bet365) side following their superb 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, defeating the English Premier League outfit in the Europa League. The fact they have been given an extra day to recover (most EL teams play their domestic games the following Sunday) should also work in their favour. Then again, this is a side which should also be doing a lot better on the domestic front.
The Portuguese Primeira Liga is five games in and Braga, who would finish in fourth-place last season, find themselves a long way down on those standards. Situated in 16th position before the weekend’s matches got underway, ‘The Archbishops’ have not won a league fixture since beating Moreirense 3-1 at home on the opening weekend (W1 D1 L3, GF5 GA9). In fact, that win on Thursday was only the second occasion a clean sheet had been kept in ten competitive fixtures this season.
To lose 1-0 away to Vitoria Setubal last weekend stretched their winless run in the league to four matches, during which time the coach, Ricardo Pinto, had not seen his team manage to score more than a solitary goal in any game. It was also a second successive defeat to go with a humbling 4-0 scoreline suffered at the hands of Benfica. So Braga have much to do if they are to justify their short price, even if they can boast considerable pedigree.
Maritimo Preview – Visitors to maintain 100% scoring trend?
Looking to capitalise on the potential for some heavy legs in the opposing team are visitors Maritimo (17/2 with Bet365). The club from Madeira went into the weekend perched just above their matchday opponents after an identical start to the season (W1 D1 L3, GF6 GA10). Their only victory, though, was earned away to a Pacos Ferreira side who were bottom and without a win before finally doing so on Friday.
Maritimo concluded 2018-19 in the relative comfort of 12th, seven points above the relegation places. Securing points on their travels did not come easy, though, winning four of seventeen such fixtures (W4 D1 L12) whilst scoring at an incredibly modest rate of 0.53 per away game. All four of their away triumphs would come via the same manner – a 1-0 scoreline (20/1 with WilliamHill) – while meetings versus the elite of this league (Benfica, FC Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Braga) were all lost to nil, losing this same fixture at Braga 2-0.
Whether it be this season or the last, Maritimo would appear to have their work cut out here. A 3-1 home defeat to Belenenses last time out was a third loss of the current campaign. It was also the third instance their defence was breached on precisely three occasions, conceding three goals in defeats to Tondela (2-3) and Aves (3-1). Manager Nuno Mantra can, however, take some comfort from the fact his team is still to fire its first blank in the league, netting in all five league games thus far.
Sporting Braga V Maritimo Key Facts:
- Braga have recorded only one league win so far (W1 D1 L3), failing to keep a clean sheet in all five fixtures.
- Maritimo have also secured only one league win this season (W1 D1 L3) but have managed to score one goal or more in all of their matches.
- The last two league meetings hosted by Braga were won by the home side without conceding a goal.
Betting Summary
Braga secured another important result in Europe on Thursday, defeating Wolves 1-0 in England, but it is domestically where their form is in urgent need of improvement. Just one win all season (W1 D1 L3) is a huge drop-off from a side which finished in fourth last season. This has, however, been a fruitful fixture for them – the past two seasons has produced two victories as the home side, both without conceding a goal.
Maritimo were among the poorest travellers in the 2018-19 Portuguese top-flight, avoiding defeat on just five instances (W4 D1 L10) and scoring fewer goals (9) than all other teams bar one. Last weekend they were beaten 3-1 at home by Belenenses, which was a third defeat of the season (W1 D1 L3), although they have at least managed to score in all five league games.
As already mentioned, Maritimo failed to trouble the defences of most teams on their travels last season but particularly the top sides, losing to nil at Benfica, Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Braga. The problem with that bet is that they have established a useful habit of scoring in every game this season, while Braga have not looked watertight defensively. All three of Maritimo’s defeat were high-scoring, so a better bet could be chancing a few goals in a fixture which doesn’t usually produce very many.
