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Braga will take on Freiburg in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, 30 April, with both teams chasing history.
Neither club have ever won this competition before, with the only European success between them being Braga's Intertoto Cup triumph in 2008.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert Europa League predictions.
Contents
Braga vs Freiburg key stats
- Braga have won five of their seven Europa League home matches this season.
- Freiburg come into the match on back-to-back defeats.
- Both teams have scored in three of Freiburg's last four matches.
Braga vs Freiburg preview: A must-win match for the hosts?
| Braga | vs | Freiburg |
|---|---|---|
| 4th(Primeira Liga) | Position | 8th(Freiburg) |
| 56 | Points | 43 |
| 59 | Goals For | 44 |
| 31 | Goals Against | 52 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 6 |
| 5th | Home Rank | 6th |
| 4th | Away Rank | 10th |
While neither of these teams were tipped to win the competition at the beginning of the season, it is less surprising to see Braga this deep than it is Freiburg.
The Portuguese side famously lost an all-Portuguese final in 2011, and have made the quarter-finals on a couple of their subsequent European campaigns. While this is their first time back in the semi-finals, nobody can say they don't deserve to be here.
Carlos Vicens, who is in his first season in charge, has engineered some famous victories en route to the semi-finals, not least their impressive 4-2 victory in Betis in the quarter-final second leg.
Vicens is dealing with more issues than he would like ahead ot his one. Diego Rodrigues, Sikou Niakate and Adrian Leon Barisic are all out injured, while Gabriel Moscardo is suspended.
As for Freiburg, this is the first time they have ever reached the final four of a European competition. In fact, the German side had never made it past the round of 16 until this season.
Currently sitting in eighth position in the Bundesliga, the Europa League also represents their best chance of qualifying for Europe again next season, and if they can win it, then they will earn a first-ever crack at the Champions League.
Manager Julian Schuster knows it will be far from easy to walk away from Braga with anything this week, but if they can just give themselves a chance going into the second leg at Europa-Park-Stadion, where they have won all six of their Europa League matches this season, it will be a job well done.
Schuster will be without Patrick Osterhage and Max Rosenfelder on Thursday night, but Jordy Makengo could return.
Braga vs Freiburg form guide & betting tips
| Braga | vs | Freiburg |
|---|---|---|
| W-W-D-W-L | Form | W-W-W-L-L |
| 8 | Goals For | 7 |
| 9 | Goals Against | 7 |
| W-D-W | Europa League form | W-W-W |
Whispers predicts: Braga 2-1 Freiburg
Braga's home record in Europe this season is impressive, while Freiburg have won just one of their last four European away fixtures. Braga to win has been priced at 7/5.
Both teams have scored in four of Braga's last six matches. BTTS has been priced at 10/11.
Rodrigo Zalazar has scored 23 goals in all competitions for Braga this season. Zalazar is priced at 21/10 to score anytime.
> Braga to win at 7/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> BTTS at 10/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> Zalazar to score anytime at 21/10 | Likelihood: Possible