Braga Union Berlin prediction 2022-09-15

Braga vs Union Berlin prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-09-14 19:00.
Artur Jorge believes he has a “great” Sporting Braga side on his hands, and he might have a point after a run of six successive victories. The Braga boss was already a legendary figure at the Estádio Municipal de Braga for his service as a player and ‘B’ team boss, but has further enhanced that reputation by going unbeaten since taking reins this summer (W6, D1), leaving fans dreaming of a first Portuguese title.

The UEFA Europa League (UEL) takes precedence this week though, where Braga are looking to maintain their staggering European home record of just three defeats in their last 24 outings (W16, D5). Finalists in 2010/11, ‘Os Arcebispos’ opened their campaign with a 2-0 win away to Malmö but having registered only two victories in eight matches against German opposition (D2, L4), the visit of Union Berlin could prove problematic.

Union Berlin will be hoping to capitalise on that record, and they are the surprise package in Germany at the moment, with Sunday’s 1-0 win over Cologne putting them top of the Bundesliga for the first time in their history. Manager Urs Fischer is certainly not getting carried away with their start to the campaign though, insisting “difficult weeks with mid-week games are still ahead,” despite losing just once in eight matches (W5, D2).

That defeat came in the UEL, 1-0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, and their record on the European stage certainly remains a concern. ‘Die Eisernen’, who were knocked out in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League last year when they openly prioritised the Bundesliga, have picked up only two victories in their last eight European fixtures (D2, L4), and there appears only a slim chance of that improving on the road at such a tough opponent, considering Union’s 12 previous European away matches have yielded just three wins (D4, L5).

Players to watch: Braga captain Ricardo Horta has netted four times in his last four games, while 45 outings in European football have yielded 18 goals. Meanwhile Diogo Leite picked up three bookings in six UEL appearances for Braga last season before joining Union Berlin on loan from Porto this summer.

Hot stat: Braga last won seven games in a row between December 2019 and February 2020.