Union Berlin and SC Braga square off in a UEFA Champions League Group C fixture with both teams looking to bounce back from match-day one defeats. The Bundesliga side have actually been woeful lately and may find things difficult against Braga, who have impressed on their recent travels.
Union Berlin suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in their opening fixture of the Champions League. They set out to frustrate the Spanish giants and held out for long periods before conceding the winner deep into injury time.
That performance may have been promising but the result is in keeping with Union Berlin’s recent form. Urs Fischer’s men have lost their last five matches across all competitions and head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 Bundesliga defeat to newly promoted Heidenheim.
Things are just as rough for Union Berlin at the Olympiastadion, where they have lost their last two matches. They have also failed to score in both fixtures, losing 3-0 to RB Leipzig before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Hoffenheim.
SC Braga also began their campaign with a defeat as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Napoli. They looked to have earned a draw after Bruma’s late equaliser canceled out a first half effort from the Italians but were undone by Sikou Niakate’s unfortunate own-goal.
Manager Artur Jorge will consider that result a minor blip as Braga have since bounced back to win their last two Primeira Liga matches. They picked up a 4-1 win over Boavista before earning a 4-2 victory at Estrela last weekend.
The result at Estrela extends a solid away record for Braga, who have claimed five wins from their last six matches on their travels across all competitions. Among their results in that run is a 4-1 victory over Backa Topola and a 1-0 win at Panathinaikos during the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent struggles, Union Berlin still have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 10/11 by bet365. A victory for SC Braga is valued at 10/3 by 888Sport while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Union Berlin and SC Braga met during the group stage of the 2022-23 Europa League with each team claiming a 1-0 victory in their home leg.
Players to watch
Kevin Behrens has four goals for Union Berlin this season and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
Ricardo Horta could be the one to watch for Braga having scored five goals this season. Three of those goals have come in the last two matches and the striker is priced at 15/4 by bet365 to find the net on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Union Berlin and SC Braga have quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 5/6 with 888Sport. Braga have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat is priced at 5/2 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at evens with bet365.
Braga have opened the scoring in five of their last six away matches across all competitions and could be tipped to grab the first goal at 13/8 with BoyleSports. The Portuguese side are not likely to lose on Tuesday, so a double chance could be a safe bet at evens with Unibet.
This UEFA Champions League match between Union Berlin and SC Braga will be played on Oct 3, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Union Berlin vs SC Braga prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
