Braga (Por) vs Panathinaikos (Gre) prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-08-22 19:00.
The beginning of their 2023/24 Primeira Liga campaign may have so far been hit and miss, but Braga went above and beyond on the continental stage, thrashing Serbian side TSC 7-1 on aggregate to move to the final qualification round for the upcoming UEFA Champions League (UCL). Bidding to reach the group stage of the competition for the first time in a decade, the last-ever champions of the defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup (2008) are warm favourites for the home leg against Greece’s Panathinaikos.
Their strongest available team made the most of some good fortune at the weekend, taking advantage of an 80th-minute red card for league opponents Chaves by scoring two late goals in a 4-2 win. They picked up where they left off last season as far as their goalscoring is concerned, with that their sixth 3+ goal haul from their last ten competitive outings.
Panathinaikos’ absence from the group stage of the UCL dates back to 2010/11, with this their fifth attempt since then to make it through the qualifying rounds that precede it. It was a phenomenal effort to overcome Marseille via penalties after two hard-fought legs earlier this month, albeit one that was assisted by the French side playing with just ten men for roughly half an hour in Panathinaikos’ home leg, and their fans couldn’t be blamed for sensing their return to the top tier of European football is imminent.
Taking a victory home from Portugal in this first leg may seem a little ambitious given Panathinaikos last won a UEFA away trip as an underdog in August 2014 (D3, L8), but the Greek side have the advantage of being able to devote all of their focus and resources to this competition, with their first game of the new Greek Super League season postponed to accommodate for the journey to Braga.
Players to watch: Of the two Braga players to have already scored in three competitive games this season, Bruma is the only one to have opened the scoring twice. Meanwhile, it was Fotis Ioannidis’ 99th-minute spot kick that took the tie against Marseille to extra time, and he has been an integral part of their success with a goal contribution in three of their last four UEFA games (G2, A1).
Hot streak: None of Braga’s last 68 UEFA games ended goalless.