Preview: Braga vs Freiburg – prediction, team news, lineups

Municipal Stadium of Panty will stage an attractive Europa League first-leg tie between Braga and Freiburg on Thursday evening.

Either Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa awaits the victors of this two-legged contest within the closing at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20.

Match preview

Fifteen years on from dropping the Europa League closing to Portuguese rivals Porto, Braga are making ready for simply their second main European semi-closing after beating Real Betis 5-3 on aggregate within the quarter-finals earlier this month.

The Arsenalists have recorded a complete of seven wins from their 12 matches on this season’s competitors (D3 L2), together with 5 victories en path to ending sixth within the 36-team League Phase and a 4-0 second-leg conquer Ferencvaros within the final 16.

Managed by Carlos Vicens – previously Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City – Braga has made a notable impression within the Europa League, holding a contest-excessive seven clear sheets. However, inconsistent home kind has left them adrift of the Primeira Liga’s high three.

Indeed, a seventh fourth-positioned end in 9 seasons is on the playing cards for Braga, after a 2-1 defeat to Santa Clara final weekend has left them a whopping 16 factors behind Sporting Lisbon in third with solely three league video games remaining.

Braga can due to this fact be forgiven for throwing the whole lot at their Europa League semi-closing, and Vicens’s aspect can take confidence from their 4-recreation unbeaten house run in opposition to German opposition (W3 D1). They have additionally received three of their 5 European house video games with out granting this time period (D1 L1).

Freiburg had did not progress past the final 16 of a serious European competitors previous to the present marketing campaign, however the Bundesliga membership now discovered themselves competing of their first-ever semi-closing having gone from power to power underneath 41-12 months-outdated head coach Julian Schuster.

Breisgau-Brasilianer completed seventh within the 36-team League Phase, stage on factors with Braga (17), earlier than thrashing Genk (5-2) and Celta Vigo (6-1) within the final 16 and quarter-finals respectively. Their conquer the latter was described as a “very historic moment” by Schuster, who’s eager to keep up his team’s “great focus” within the latter levels of the competitors.

Freiburg’s home kind has lately dipped, although, as a 2-1 semi-closing defeat to Stuttgart within the DFB-Pokal was adopted by a heavy 4-0 away loss to Borussia Dortmund within the Bundesliga final weekend, leaving them eighth within the desk and simply exterior the European qualification spots on aim distinction.

The German outfit head into Thursday’s first leg having received simply two of their final 9 Europa League away matches (D3 L4), failing to attain in three of their final 4 and dropping two of their final three with out reply earlier this 12 months.

Freiburg’s solely earlier expertise in Portugal was again in 2013-14 after they performed out a goalless stalemate with Estoril within the Europa League group stage; an analogous end result in opposition to Braga wouldn’t be the worst final result on the planet for Schuster’s aspect earlier than returning to house spoil for subsequent week’s second leg.

Braga Europa League kind:

Braga kind (all competitions):

Freiburg Europa League kind:

Freiburg kind (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / NurPhoto

Braga can be with out Diego Rodrigues (ankle), Sikou Niakate (Achilles) and Adrian Leon Barisic (adductor) resulting from damage, whereas German midfielder Florian Grillitsch is uncertain with a knock sustained in opposition to Santa Clara final weekend.

PSG loanee Gabriel Moscardo is dominated out via suspension, so Leonardo Lelo or Paulo Oliveira might be handed a begin within the again three alongside Gustaf Lagerbielke and Vitor Carvalho.

Rodrigo Zalazar he has scored a team-excessive 23 targets in all competitions this season, and the versatile attacker is anticipated to start out within the closing third together with Pau Victor and Ricardo Horta, who has 4 Europa League targets to his identify.

As for Freiburg, midfielder Patrick Osterhage has been sidelined for the reason that finish of March with a knee damage, whereas defender Max Rosenfelder can also be out as he continues to get better from a hamstring downside.

Jordy Makengo missed the defeat to Dortmund with a thigh problem, and it stays to be seen if he can be able to return on Thursday. Christian Gunter will proceed at left-again if wanted.

Vincenzo Grifo is Freiburg’s high scorer in all competitions (13) and joint-high scorer within the Europa League with Yuito Suzuki (4). Both gamers are anticipated to start out in assault together with Niklas Beste and central striker Igor Matanovic.

Braga attainable beginning lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Carvalho, Leonardo Lelo; Gomez, Gorby, Grillitsch, Martinez; Zalazar, Victor, Horta

Freiburg attainable beginning lineup:

Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Suzuki, Grifo; Matanovic

We say: Braga 1-0 Freiburg

Keen to bounce again from home defeats final weekend, each Braga and Freiburg will return themselves to return out on high in what may show to be a good first-leg affair. However, the hosts’ defensive solidity could give them the sting on this event.

For knowledge evaluation of the probably outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click here.