Braga vs Sporting Lisbon Predictions

• Both teams have scored in three of Braga’s five pre-season games and five of Sporting’s six warm-ups.
• Both teams scored in six of Sporting’s last eight away Primeira Liga games last season.
• Braga have added some attacking quality in the summer, but lost key defender David Carmo.

Braga to bring excitement, but Sporting to take the points

Braga should be a bit more exciting to watch this season after a change in the dugout, but Sporting might just have too much for them in this Sunday’s opening Primeira Liga fixture. The Arsenalistas promoted Artur Jorge from the B team when Carlos Carvalhal left at the end of a successful 2021-22 campaign.

Carvalhal knew key players were being moved on and probably felt he couldn’t take Braga further with his brand of controlled football. He won more than half of his games in charge and Braga scored just under 1.7 goals per game in them, but weren’t always easy on the eye.

Jorge returns to the first-team bench after one prior spell as caretaker in which he won three of five games and sealed third place in the table at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. His team scored more than two goals per game during that short run, something that could be emulated by the current group that now boast several exciting attackers.

Both teams can score at The Quarry

Goals have been flowing in pre-season with Braga hitting three against Arouca and Middlesbrough and two apiece against Bournemouth and Celta Vigo. Defensively,  they look much more suspect without defensive colossus David Carmo – who was sold to Porto in the summer.

Sporting should be able to get at Braga’s backline and cause some havoc too, although their pre-season games haven’t featured as many goals. Both teams to score has landed in five of their six and must have a good chance against this slightly unblanaced Braga side too.

Ruben Amorim’s side have won on each of their last two visits to The Quarry and a repeat of last August’s 2-1 league victory there – which followed a fortnight on from a similar Super cup scoreline – seems a solid correct score play.

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