Will there be a surprise in the north of Portugal?
SC Braga once reached the Europa League final in the summer of 2011, but failed to secure the title back then. Since then, the northern Portuguese side have been hoping for another strong run in Europe, but first need to wrap up another place in the group stage. In principle, the betting tip for a home win for Braga against Servette Geneva is very favorable
After a phenomenal start to the season with three wins in a row, including a 3:1 victory over national champions BSC Young Boys, the Grenats suffered their first setback on Saturday. Due in part to their 3-1 loss in Ticino, our prediction for Braga against Servette Geneva is a clear home win for the Portuguese side, whose squad’s total market value is more than five times that of the western Swiss
Though things have not been going too well for the Portuguese at international level of late. SC Braga have lost five of their last nine European home games (three wins, one draw). However, at least in the second qualifying round for the Europa League 2024/25, nothing at all went wrong in the Portuguese north with a 2:0 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva. Overall, despite Servette Geneva’s somewhat more pronounced competitive streak, we see a clear advantage for the home team.
In principle, we can also imagine a very high-scoring first leg in view of the Western Swiss team’s previous results in the Super League (nine goals and seven goals conceded in four games), which is why the betting tip of over 2.5 goals can be played at Happybet. Ultimately, however, we find a little more value in the no-frills bet on a home win for the northern giants. Incidentally, new customers can currently receive a 150% bonus up to €100 at Happybet.
Braga – Statistics & current form
In Portugal, the top three places have traditionally gone to FC Porto, Sporting and Benfica Lisbon. SC Braga have managed to break through this power structure from time to time over the last 15 years. However, it has never been enough for the northern Portuguese side to win the national championship.
Last season, the Red & Whites once again had to make do with fourth place in the final table behind the established top three. At least the Arcebispos (the archbishops) are back in the Europa League – the competition in which Braga once reached the grand final in 2011
Braga have lost their international home strength
After last year’s trip to the Champions League, coach Daniel Sousa’s side are once again hoping to reach the group stage of a UEFA competition. However, if Braga’s bet on a home win against Servette Geneva does not work out, the starting position would suddenly be very bad and the Red & Whites would have to be careful not to be relegated to the Conference League qualifiers.
Above all, the Arcebispos will have to improve at home in the Estádio Municipal de Braga. After all, they have lost no fewer than five of their last nine international home games in front of their own fans (three wins, one draw). In the last five home games alone, there has only been one win
Braga get off to a flying start in the Europa League qualifiers
However, the northern Portuguese side celebrated their first victory just two weeks ago when they won their first competitive match of the still young 2024/25 season in the second qualifying round of the Europa League against Israeli side Maccabi Petach Tikva 2-0. In the second leg, the Arcebispos went on to win 5:0 away from home
While the national league in Portugal doesn’t start until the weekend, it’s possible that the team is not yet 100 percent ready to compete. However, with two games, two wins and a 7-0 scoreline, the team’s record so far in the new season is still completely flawless.
Predicted line-up for Braga:
Matheus – Marin, Niakaté, Saatci, Gómez – Moutinho, Zalazar, Horta – Fernandes, Bruma, El Ouazzani
Servette Geneva – Statistics & current form
Servette Football Club Genève 1890 were in the title race in the 2023/24 season until well into the championship group. However, the Grenats ran out of steam in the home straight after a long series of defeats in the spring.
Nevertheless, the season ended on a positive note. Third place in the final Super League table was followed by overall victory in the Swiss Cup. It was the first title for the team from Lac Léman in 23 years. Nevertheless, the Genevois are now starting the new season with a new coach in the form of Thomas Häberli
A damper at the right time?
Under the 50-year-old, the Romands got off to a brilliant start with three wins from their first three matches. The highlight so far: a 3:1 home win over reigning champions BSC Young Boys.
However, in their dress rehearsal on Saturday of all days, the French-speaking side suffered a 3-1 defeat at FC Lugano, which brought Häberli’s team back down to earth to some extent. In the end, the Grenats were not completely unscathed by the personnel changes
Games at Servette Geneva have a built-in goal guarantee
It’s striking that Servette Geneva played a fairly straightforward “do or die” style of soccer on the first four matchdays of the Super League. They always scored goals, but never kept a clean sheet. The Servettiens have already scored a total of nine goals, but have also conceded seven.
This is one of the reasons why a high-scoring game in the Europa League qualifiers against Servette Geneva is the obvious bet, despite the fact that Victory Beniangba, on loan from KRC Genk, is still missing as an important attacking player for the French-speaking side. That doesn’t exactly make the challenging task in the north of Portugal any easier.
Predicted Servette Geneva line-up:
Mall – Mazikou, Severin, Rouiller, Tsunemoto – Cognat, Ondoua – Kutesa, Antunes, Stevanovic – Giullemenot
Braga – Servette Geneva head-to-head / H2H result
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 0
There has never been a competitive European match between the two teams. Accordingly, there is no head-to-head data available that could influence the prediction for Braga v Servette Geneva in any way. It should be noted, however, that the Portuguese side have never lost to a team from Switzerland in five competitive matches (two wins, three draws)
Braga – Servette Geneva betting tip
The odds of the best bookmakers for Braga against Servette Geneva are clearly and unmistakably in favor of the northern Portuguese, who have not been able to sell themselves quite so well at the Estádio Municipal de Braga at European level recently, but are now facing an opponent who is clearly inferior on paper. The Red & Whites’ entire senior squad is worth just over 125 million euros. That is more than five times the value of the visitors from western Switzerland, who also lost 3-1 in Lugano at the weekend and squandered the momentum of their strong start to the season.
Although at least the toughness of the competition is a point that speaks in favor of the Romands after four completed matchdays at national level, we have found little else that speaks against a bet on a home win for the Braguistas. We therefore stick to the three-way system and recommend betting tip 1.
ODDSET offers odds of 1.53 for SC Braga to win the first leg in front of a home crowd, which we play with six out of ten units. Incidentally, you can also use the bookmaker’s sports betting app to place your bets.
