Braga get another chance to tighten their grip on fourth place for Primeira Liga as dem travel to Casa Pia for rescheduled matchday 26 fixture on Thursday.
Currently five points clear of fifth-placed Famalicao, victory for the Archbishops go extend that gap to eight, while the 16th-placed hosts sit two points adrift of safety and fit climb to 14th with win.
Entering last weekend’s all-Minho encounter five points clear of Famalicao, Braga for don relish the chance to widen the gap, but dem instead dey scramble to avoid defeat.
In contest where Carlos Vicens‘ men take lead through Fran Navarro inside two minutes, goals from Gil Dias and Rafa Soares turn game on its head, leaving dem staring down defeat before 99th-minute penalty from Ricardo Horta rescue 2-2 draw.
Braga now unbeaten in five games across all competitions (W3, D2), run wey see the Arsenalistas reach Europa League semi-finals for first time since 2010-11, while also extending their top-flight sequence to three matches without loss (W2, D1).
Already destined to finish outside top three, the Archbishops sit staggering 18 points behind third-placed Sporting Lisbon with five games remaining and go instead focus on securing fourth place once again, having finish there in 10 of last 15 campaigns, including last term.
That said, Braga go confident to claim victory on Thursday, given dem don win three of their last four away league matches (L1), two of which come against bottom-two sides AVS and Tondela, underlining their authority against relegation-threatened opposition.
Meanwhile, Casa Pia’s late-season survival battle don shape by their struggles to secure wins, as Alvaro Pacheco‘s side dey currently on seven-game winless run (D4, L3), with only already-relegated AVS enduring longer drought for division.
Alternating between draws and defeats across their last five outings, the Geese enter this encounter following goalless stalemate against Santa Clara, further highlighting their issues for final third.
Casa Pia don now fail to score in five of their last nine matches, with their tally of 28 goals the fourth-fewest for division, while only AVS (62) and Arouca (58) don concede more than Os Gansos‘ 52 for league this season.
However, the Geese don be solid on home soil, where dem unbeaten in seven matches (W2, D5), run wey include victory over leaders Porto and draw against Benfica, and Pacheco’s men go aim to deliver another strong display against top-four opposition.
There further encouragement for fact say Casa Pia win their most recent home meeting with Braga, meaning dem don claim victory in two of last three encounters between the sides, although Os Gansos suffer 4-0 defeat for this season’s reverse fixture.
Casa Pia go without long-term absentee Kiki Silva as e dey recover from knee injury, while goalkeeper Ricardo Batista don sideline since February.
Veteran defender Jose Fonte, wey don miss last three matchday squads, dey major doubt, while Xander Severina don also unavailable across last 11 matches.
Meanwhile, on-loan attacker Joao Marques no fit play against parent club, so e go no feature, with Dailon Livramento, Tiago Morais or Korede Osundina for contention to feature on left side of attack.
Cassiano dey expected to lead line once again and go aim to rediscover scoring touch after failing to find net for last five appearances.
As for Braga, Adrian Barisic still dey deal with muscle injury, while Sikou Niakate remain sidelined with Achilles tendon issue.
Midfielder Diego Rodrigues go also miss out due to ankle problem, while Bright Arrey-Mbi fit be absent for second successive match through physical discomfort.
Despite returning from muscle injury as unused substitute for previous outing, Rodrigo Zalazar dey absent from squad last weekend, casting doubt over availability for Thursday.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup: Sequeira; Goulart, Kaly, Sousa; Larrazabal, Mohamed, Brito, Rosas; Livolant, Cassiano, Livramento.
Braga possible starting lineup: Hornicek; Lagerbielke, V Carvalho, Moscardo; Gomez, Gorby, Grillitsch, Lelo; Tiknaz, Horta; Victor.
While Casa Pia don unconvincing for recent weeks, dem don remain resilient on home soil, and we expect the Geese to prove tough side to break down on Thursday, particularly with survival still at stake.
Braga don also not always find this fixture straightforward, so we dey back draw here, in line with each of the hosts’ last three home matches.
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