REAL MADRID will be bidding to make it four wins from four in Champions League Group C when they welcome Sporting Braga to the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side kept up their perfect start in their pursuit of 15th European crown with a 2-1 win over Braga the Municipal Stadium on matchday three.
That victory means Los Blancos are in the box seat at the top of the section and banking another three points here would seal their passage to the knockout round with two games to spare.
The Spanish giants will be presented with the opportunity to move back to the summit of the La Liga standings when they play host to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday night.
Braga, meanwhile, are back in the the group stage of the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11 and have three points on the board after three rounds of matches courtesy of 3-2 win against Union Berlin.
The Portuguese outfit will head to the Spanish capital in high spirits after dishing out a 6-1 pasting to Portimonense in the Primeira Liga on Saturday night.
Outright Betting
Understandably, Real Madrid are odds-on 2/9 (Ladbrokes) favourites as they look to maintain their 100% record in this season's Champions League.
Braga triumphed in their opening away game in Berlin but they are big outsiders to repeat the trick here at 12/1 (Ladbrokes) while a share of the Santiago Bernabéu spoils can be backed at 6/1 (PaddyPower).
Betting Angles
At the risk of stating the obvious, Real Madrid are deserving and fair favourites here, however we can get the hosts onside at a backable price by merging Real Madrid to win and Under 4.5 match goals at 17/20 (Ladbrokes).
Carlo Ancelotti's crop are a far cry from the glamourous Real Madrid teams of yesteryear but they are a very efficient unit with real sprinkling of star power in forward areas.
That is evidenced by the fact the Los Blancos have last just one of their opening 14 matches of the season, claiming top honours from a towering 12 of those tussless
What's more, a sizable 11 of those 12 successes have featured four match goals or fewer, and I suspect Real will record another solid if unspectacular win on Wednesday night.
While attack-minded Braga have more than enough talent to bloody their illustrious hosts' nose – much like they did in the reverse fixture – Real Madrid's superior class should ultimately tell once more.
At the time of writing, this bet would have generated profit from all bar one of Los Blancos' 12 victories this season, so the 17/20 (Ladbrokes) quote about a repeat this midweek seems the most sensible option.
Given that Jude Bellingham has swiftly established himself as Real Madrid's talisman this season, I'll also back the young English sensation to strike here at 29/20 (UniBet).
To date, Bellingham has scored 13 goals in 13 appearances for the European superpower, so odds-against quotes about the Brummie making the net bulge again definitely represents value.
This UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and SC Braga will be played on Nov 8, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs SC Braga prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
