Braga vs. Panathinaikos: Preview and betting tips

According to the odds, a battle between a giant and a dwarf, in reality a battle between two fairly evenly matched teams. Portuguese Braga will challenge Panathinaikos Athens at home, what to expect from the match and what to bet on?

Braga have mixed feelings about their start to the season. In the Champions League, it clearly eliminated Serbia’s Bačka Topola after wins of 3: 0 and 4: 1, but in the league it is only on three points after two rounds, having fallen to Famalicao in the first leg.

Panathinaikos even went through two preliminary rounds. First, they beat Dnipro from Ukraine, then they knocked out Marseille. Although they were two goals down in France, they managed to reduce the deficit and were successful in the penalty shootout.

Braga’s key figures

Bruma arrived from Fenerbahce in the summer, the Portuguese international has struck in four games scoring three times and assisting once. Midfielder Pizzi returned to Portugal after a one-year mission in Arabia, he also managed three goals in three games.

Panathinaikos key figures

The visitors rely on Andraz Sporar, the Slovenian hitman has hit three times in four qualifying matches. One to watch out for is super-sub Fotis Ioannidis, he managed two goals and one assist in 98 minutes.

Prediction

Braga will be hard to stop, having netted 15 goals in their last five games. Both Pizzi and Bruma have improved the offense a lot, plus club icon and Portuguese international Ricardo Horta is still productive in the team.

But Panathinaikos is also on fire. He set Dnipro up with five goals in total, also asserting himself in both games against Marseille, while having the best defensive record in the Greek competition last year with 16 goals scored. An incredible number in 36 rounds.

Considering the great performances from the previous qualification stages, the form of Sporar and the fact that the Greeks managed a tough away game a week ago, I think Panathinaikos will not lose away.

Bettingtip l Panathinaikos to lose at odds of 2.27