Qarabag will face Braga in Thursday night’s Europa League playoff second leg, hoping to seal the deal with a two-goal advantage.
Last week, in the first match, the Azerbaijani team beat their opponents 4-2 and are now well-positioned to go further in the tournament.
Top 3 markets | Best odds at bookmakers |
Qarabag to win: ⚽ | 2.90 at Bet9ja |
Both teams to score: 🥅 | 1.61 at 1xbet |
Simon Banza to score anytime: ✅ | 2.6 at Sportybet |
Qarabag and Braga: Previous Games
Within the last week, Qarabag stunned Sporting Braga in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout round playoffs, winning 4-2. The Azerbaijani champions took full advantage of Braga’s many defensive weaknesses. The costumes added out to almost 5.00 xG. Thus, it was a relatively open game overall.
However, the tie is far from over. Despite their crushing home setback, Braga nevertheless entered this doubleheader as the favorite. In a 3-2 group stage victory against Union Berlin in Germany, the Portuguese side showed they can win big on the road in the UEFA Champions League.
In addition, Qarabag has shown weaknesses in their defense in their most recent home match. In the quarterfinal of the Azerbaijani Cup, they were defeated by Sabah 3-4. They played a 3-3 draw with the same opponent in the league match. However, with a fifteen-point lead over Sumqayit, the armies of Qurban Qurbanov became the undisputed rulers of Azerbaijani Premier Liqa.
Probable Qarabag Lineup
Lunyov; Silva, Mustafazada, Guseynov, Cafarguliyev; Romao, Jankovic; Andrade, Benzia, Zoubir; Juninho
Probable Braga Lineup
Matheus; Gomez, Niakate, Oliveira, Borja; Carvalho, Moutinho; Ruiz, Pizzi, Fernandes; Banza
Betting tips: Qarabag x Braga
Check out our predictions of the day for Qarabag vs. Braga
Prediction 1: Qarabag x Braga / Qarabag to win
Qarabag is in a good position after winning the first leg, and they will feel even better about playing at home in front of their supporters. Meanwhile, Braga’s defensive woes and recent offensive failures persist. In our opinion, the host team should qualify on Thursday.
Prediction 2: Qarabag x Braga / Both teams to score
Both Qarabag and Braga have been struggling to keep things quiet at the back in recent weeks. The high-scoring first leg thus came as no surprise whatsoever. We expect a similar scenario this time around. Braga still possesses more quality in their ranks. They own the third-best attacking record in Portuguese Primeira Liga. Qarabag has not kept a clean sheet in seven straight matches across competitions. They allowed as many as nine goals in the last three outings. Since Braga has also conceded ten goals in the previous three games in all competitions, backing goals at both ends is the way to go. As we see the visitors as the favorites, we will shoot for both teams to score as our second pick.
Prediction 3: Qarabag x Braga / Simon Banza to score anytime
So far this season, Braga’s star player has been Simon Banza. The DR Congo international scored 15 goals in 16 games for Primeira Liga this season. He returned from the C.A.F. Africa Cup of Nations with two goals for Braga. Banza has much room to work against Qarabag’s porous defense, so we’re picking him to score at any moment.