Benfica
- Benfica are unbeaten in their last five, beating Estoril (3-1) and Moreirense (4-0) in their two December matches.
- Mourinho has brought a cagey and pragmatic approach to Benfica, prioritising organisation and discipline over attacking freedom and style.
Braga
- Braga are in mixed form, winning three of their last five matches, and had a 2-2 league draw with Benfica on 28th December.
- Carlos Vicens, a Manchester City graduate, has brought a very different ethos to Braga and they have played some good soccer, but they have been inconsistent in domestic action.
- Braga will try to control the pace and set the pattern of the game, with wide overloads, structure and pressing, whereas Mourinho’s men are likely to be more content to sit back and counter.
Head-to-Head
Benfica have won over 100 of the 159 competitive head-to-head meetings across all competitions, with Braga claiming around 25 - 30 wins.
Benfica
Vangelis Pavlidis is the in-form goal machine for the Eagles, having bagged hat-tricks and consistently finding the net in December, but Mourinho has options with Richard Ríos and Fredrik Aursnes chipping in.
Braga
Braga have a talisman in Ricardo Horta , who never seems to miss when he’s on fire, and he netted the equaliser against Benfica in the last meeting on 28th December .
Betting Insights
- The Eagles are the bookmaker’s favorites at 1.74 with Braga a 4.5 outsider and the draw 3.65.
- Both Teams To Score is a strong bet at 1.8 and is expected to land in a tight semi-final in Leiria.
Prediction
Benfica have been dominant in this fixture and will be the slight favorites to reach the final, but Braga will have the wind of an upset in their sails and won’t be easy to turn over.
