Olympiacos are seeking their first win in the Europa League as they host Braga on Thursday. The Greeks are often solid at home and with Braga impressing at the moment, both teams could be set to cancel each other out.
Olympiacos were far from their best in their opening fixture as they fell 2-0 to Lyon. They were second best to the French side for much of the contest, struggling to create too many clear cut goal scoring opportunities.
That result is part of a poor run of form for Olympiacos, who are winless in three of their last four matches, suffering two defeats in that run. However, Jose Luis Medilibar’s men are unbeaten in three of their last four home matches and claimed a 2-0 victory over Atromitos in a domestic fixture last weekend.
Sporting Braga began their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv. They fought back from a goal down with a second half brace from Bruma earning them the win.
In contrast to Olympiacos’ struggles, Braga are showing some good form at the moment. Carlos Carvalhal’s men have won their last three matches and triumphed 4-0 over Rio Ave in a Primeira Liga fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Olympiacos fancied
Olympiacos have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 21/20 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Braga is valued at 23/10 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 12/5 for a draw.
Head to head: No previous meetings
This will be the first ever meeting between Olympiacos and Braga.
Players to watch: El Kaabi looks sharp
Ayoub El Kaabi has looked sharp for Braga in recent weeks, scoring four goals in his last five matches. The striker will be the one to watch on Thursday and is priced at 7/5 by Betfred to find the net once again.
Amine El Ouazzani often leads the line for Braga and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has two goals this season and is priced at 11/5 by Betfred to get on the score sheet on Thursday.
Probable line-ups
El Kaabi scored off the bench for Olympiacos last weekend and could be handed a start on Thursday. Santiago Hezze is also pushing for a start in midfield while David Carmo should continue at the back.
El Ouazzani and Bruma were second half substitutes in Braga’s win over Rio Ave and could return to the starting line-up on Thursday. Sikou Niakate is expected to start in the heart of the defence.
Olympiacos: Tzolakis, Apostolopoulos, Carmo, Restos, Costinha, Hezze, Stamenic, Velde, Chiquinho, Willian, El Kaabi
Braga: Matheus, Ribeiro, Ferreira, Niakate, Gomez, Horta, Carvalho, Guitane, Horta, Bruma, El Ouazzani
Anything else catch the eye?
Olympiacos and Braga have quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 8/11 with Betfred. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 10/11 by Betfred, who is also offering 9/4 for a draw.
Both teams have had some late showings recently, so the second half could be tipped to produce more goals at 11/10 with Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Olympiacos and Braga will be played on Oct 3, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Olympiacos vs Braga prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
