Royale Union SG – Braga : Preview & Prediction
It has been a dream start for Royale Union in what is their first appearance in European competition, as the Belgian side are yet to lose in Group D (G3) of the UEFA Europa League (UEL). Showing impressive resilience coupled with a never-say-die attitude, all three wins came by a one-goal margin, with Braga the most recent team in Europe to be knocked out by the Belgians after Union won 2-1 thanks to two late goals — scoring both goals after the 85th minute.
They managed a 2-1 win by the same scoreline against Cercle Brugge at the weekend, meaning Royale Union have won their last five games in all competitions and have scored in each of their official home games this campaign (G6, P1). Royale Union fans have become accustomed to celebrating in Brussels or Leuven, where they play their European games, and must be happy with their current momentum as they were not in the Belgian top flight between 1972 and 2021!
Braga’s form heading into this clash is much worse than that of the home side, having lost their last three games, but despite that, a win here could see them finish the day top of the group (G2, P1). Their future prospects now also look brighter, after Paris Saint-Germain’s owners (Qatar Sports Investments) recently agreed to buy a minority stake in the club.
That has already led to talk of future UEFA Champions League qualification, but for now Braga will be fully focused on recovering from last week’s defeat – their first to a Belgian side since 2011. All three previous visits to Belgium ended in draws, but that cannot be repeated. It doesn’t seem particularly likely given that Braga have drawn just one of their last 17 UEL away group stage games (G7, P9).
Players to watch: Gustaf Nilsson was Union’s hero in Portugal with his late game-changing brace, but before that, his last five official goals had opened the scoring. Meanwhile, Ricardo Horta scored between the 65th and 70th minutes in two of Braga’s last three away games.
Weekend stat: Braga have received an average of 4.25 yellow cards per game in their last four matches (G1, P3).
Royale Union SG – Braga : Betting Tips
Royale Union SG – Win Odds: 2.25
