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Porto are back in Portuguese Primeira Liga action as they host Braga at the Estádio do Dragão on Sunday.
Porto fell to a 3-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in their final Champions League group stage fixture on Wednesday, meaning they will have to play in the playoff round in the Europa League in February. They are unbeaten in the league and are at the top of the standings, leading Sporting on goal difference.
Braga finished second in their Europa League group as they drew 1-1 with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday. They have recorded back-to-back wins in their league outings, including a 2-0 win over Estoril Praia last week.
Porto vs Braga Head-to-Head
There have been 73 meetings between the two sides since 1990. As expected, the hosts have the better record in this fixture with 46 wins while Braga have 13 wins to their name. The spoils have been shared 14 times between the two sides.
Braga have enjoyed better results in their last eight outings against the hosts and have recorded four wins while Dragões have just one win.
They last squared off in the Taca de Portugal semi-final fixture at Sunday's venue. Braga emerged victorious in the second-leg tie, beating the hosts 3-2 with Abel Ruiz bagging a first-half brace.
Porto form guide (all competitions): L-W-W-L-W
Braga form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-L-W
Porto vs Braga Team News
Porto
Ivan Marcano remains sidelined with a foot injury and is not expected to start here. Here are the rest of the absentees for the hosts:
- Claudio Ramos - Back injury
- Chico Conceição - Muscle injury
Injured: Ivan Marcano, Chico Conceição
Doubtful: Claudio Ramos
Suspended: None
Braga
Nuno Sequeira is a long-term absentee with a knee injury while Lucas Mineiro was red-carded in the win over Estoril Praia and has been suspended for the game. Here are the rest of the absentees for Os Arcebispos:
- David Carmo - Muscle injury
Injured: David Carmo, Nuno Sequeira
Suspended: Lucas Mineiro
Porto vs Braga Predicted XI
Porto Predicted XI (4-4-2): Diogo Costa; Zaid Sanusi, Chancel Mbemba, Fabio Cardoso, Wilson Manafa; Otavio, Sergio Oliviera, Mateus Uribe, Luis Diaz; Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson
Braga Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Matheus; Raul Michel Melo da Silva, Paulo Oliveira, Diogo Leite; Yan Couto, Francisco Moura, Lucas Piazon, Andre Castro; Iuri Medeiros, Ricardo Horta; Mario Gonzalez
Porto vs Braga Prediction
Porto are unbeaten in their league fixtures and have conceded just eight goals so far. They have scored 33 goals while Braga have found the back of the net 23 times.
A loss for the hosts looks unlikely but Braga have also done well for themselves and won't go down without a fight. A narrow win for the hosts is our prediction for the game.
Prediction: Porto 2-1 Braga
