Braga vs Sevilla – visitors keen to avoid becoming latest Braga scalp
Published:Having dumped Celtic out of the previous Champions League qualifying round, Portuguese side Braga will be hoping to spring another surprise against Sevilla tonight.
In their only previous meeting to date, Sevilla won 2-0 in a UEFA Cup tie in 2006, and the Spanish giants are priced at 13/10 to claim a first leg victory in this Champions League play-off.
Sevilla went on to win the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) after beating Braga, and the Spanish side are available at 33/1 to claim their first Champions League title this season.
Braga may be 200/1 outsiders to win the Champions League, but their dismissal of Celtic in the previous qualifying round should serve as a warning not to underestimate the Portuguese side.
Priced at 21/10 to win tonight, Braga will be hoping for a performance akin to their 3-0 drubbing of Celtic in order to establish a strong first leg lead.
Winning at home is crucial for Braga, because as 2/1 underdogs to qualify the Portuguese side will face an uphill task when they travel to Spain for the second leg.
Sevilla’s shock home defeat to CSKA Moscow during last season’s Champions League was their first European loss at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan since 2006, and their supreme home record is a major factor in their favourite odds of 4/11 to qualify.
Sevilla enter the tie in promising early season form, having beaten Barcelona 3-1 in the Spanish Super Copa last Saturday.
Luis Fabiano scored Sevilla’s first goal on that occasion, and the Brazilian striker is the 9/2 favourite to break the deadlock against Braga.
The scorer of Sevilla’s other two goals against Barcelona, Frederic Kanoute, could also be worth backing to open the scoring at 5/1. See the full Braga vs Sevilla Match Betting Odds market.
