SC Braga hold a slim advantage as they travel to Panathinaikos for their UEFA Champions League playoff second leg. Both teams appear evenly matched at the moment and another closely fought encounter could be on the cards.
Panathinaikos have a small deficit to climb out of after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the first meeting with Braga. They fell two goals down and laboured for much of the encounter before Daniel Mancini gave them a lifeline five minutes into added time.
While they will fancy their chances of turning things around at home, that result highlights Panathinaikos’ erratic showings lately. Ivan Jovanivic’s men have claimed just two wins in their last eight matches across all competitions, although they will head into Tuesday’s clash with a 3-0 victory over Volos NFC in a Greek Super League fixture last Saturday.
The win over Volos is an extension of Panathinaikos’s fine record at home as they are unbeaten in their last three matches in front of their fans. Among their results in that run is a 1-0 win over French side Marseille in the previous round of the Champions League.
Braga were given a stern test by Panathinaikos but managed to hold on for the win. They took a two-goal lead through Abel Ruiz and Alvaro Djalo and fended off some late pressure from the Greek side to ensure they claimed the advantage.
The Portuguese have been in fine form this season, suffering just one defeat in five competitive matches so far. The major problem is defending as they tend to always concede and are without a clean sheet in their last four matches.
Braga are not a side lacking in confidence and they will head into Tuesday’s clash with the aim of doing the double over Panathinaikos. Artur Jorge’s men have won their last two away matches and picked up a 4-1 victory at Backa Topola in their previous Champions League fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Panathinaikos have a slight edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/5 with William Hill. A victory for Braga is valued at 19/10 with Coral while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 with bet365.
Head to head
Last week’s first leg is the only previous meeting between Panathinaikos and Braga.
Players to watch
Fotis Ioannidis has caught the eye for Panathinaikos in recent weeks, scoring in two of the last three matches. He will be the one to watch on Tuesday and is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Abel Ruiz was on target in the first leg and could be worth keeping an eye on for Braga. The forward is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to find the net on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Panathinaikos and Braga have attacking quality and with both teams scoring in the first leg, a repeat could be considered at 8/11 with William Hill. The first meeting also produced over 2.5 goals and a similar outcome is priced at 10/11 with Paddy Power while Unibet is offering odds of 9/4 for over 3.5 goals.
All the scoring in the first meeting was done after the break, so the second half can be tipped to produce the most goals on Tuesday at 21/20 with William Hill. Both teams can also be backed to score in the second half at 9/4 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between Panathinaikos and SC Braga will be played on Aug 29, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Panathinaikos vs SC Braga prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
