Surprise Union at the Quarry Stadium?

Union Berlin fans had imagined a completely different start to their Europa League adventure the previous week. They actually wanted to make their first statement against Belgian runners-up Royale Union SG. In the end, it was 0:1 for the Eisernen, who are already fighting against a false start on the second match day.

The capital club are guests in the picturesque north of Portugal on Thursday evening. The charismatic quarry stadium will host the eagerly awaited clash between Braga and Union Berlin. Odds of 2.25 on the home win compared to a 3.40 at the top on the away win suggest that the bookmakers see the hosts in the favourite role. The home advantage and the plus in international experience probably serve as the most important arguments here.

Despite this, coach Urs Fischer’s team will travel to southern Europe with a broad chest. Sunday’s 1-0 win at 1. FC Köln finally lifted the Köpenicker to the top of the Bundesliga table.

The Berliners, still unbeaten at national level, are now desperate to avoid a second defeat on the international stage. In order to make a prediction on the double chance X2 between Braga and Union Berlin, however, we should first analyse Sporting Clube’s tremendous start to the season in more detail. That is exactly what we have done below!

Braga – Statistics & current form

The SC Braga is a permanent guest in the European business. The Red and Whites’ greatest success on the international stage came just over ten years ago when they reached the final of the 2010/11 Europa League season, losing to Porto in an all-Portuguese final. Since then, Sporting Clube have reached the quarter-finals twice more in this competition and also punched their ticket to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League twice.

In contrast to the EL debutants from the German capital, the northern Portuguese and many players of the proud club from the big city have already gained a lot of experience. It is quite possible that this factor will tip the scales a little in the direction of the home team on Thursday evening.

In-form Portugal rely on their home strength

Apart from that, the team of coach Artur Jorge, who took over the reins from Carlos Carvahal just before this season, must be credited with a very good start to the season. After six matchdays, they have 16 of a possible 18 points in the domestic league. Only against Sporting Lisbon did Braga lose two points in the opening 3:3. The “Archbishops” have won five matches in a row. Including the Europa League, the remarkable series even increases to six successive victories.

In the previous week, the Jorge team celebrated a deserved 2-0 victory in Malmö, which impressively underpinned their ambitions to advance to the next round in this Group D of the Europa League. Given their current form, successful history in this competition and traditional home strength, it is understandable in our eyes that Braga are favourites against Union Berlin according to the odds.

Finally, to back up the home strength with figures, just take a look at the past season. In the Europa League, where the northern Portuguese reached the quarter-finals, there were five wins and one draw in six home games. Among others, they defeated the future finalists from Glasgow and Monaco in front of their home crowd. The home strength was also confirmed in the league with ten wins from 17 matches. Even a point in the quarry stadium would be considered a success for the Bundesliga team.

Predicted line-up of Braga:
Lima; Fabiano, Tormena, Rodrigues, Sequeira; Medeiros, A Horta, Al Musrati, R Horta; Banza, Vitinha

Last matches played by Braga:

Liga Portugal
12/09/2022 – Rio Ave 2 – 3 Braga

Europa League Grp. D
08/09/2022 – Malmö FF 0 – 2 Braga

Liga Portugal
03/09/2022 – Braga 1 – 0 Vitoria de Guimaraes

28/08/2022 – Arouca 0 – 6 Braga

21/08/2022 – Braga 5 – 0 Maritimo

Union Berlin – Statistics & current form

Union Berlin really are the measure of all things in the Bundesliga at the moment. The first experts are already comparing the history of the Eisernen with that of Leicester City in the Premier League in 2016. This means that even the German championship does not seem out of reach for many professional optimists. We definitely don’t want to go that far out on a limb, but we shouldn’t be sparing with superlatives for the cult club from Köpenick.

Union is the only team in the Bundesliga to have collected 14 points from six games. Four victories are offset by two draws. Among others, coach Urs Fischer’s team also scored against the record champions from Munich. With four goals conceded, the Red and Whites currently have the best defence in the Bundesliga. The Eisernen have not conceded more than one goal in eight competitive matches. Nevertheless, in five cases the bet would have gone through on “both score”. An approach that also works for us as a tip between Braga and Union Berlin.

Union wants to show the Bundesliga face in Europe

Before Sheraldo Becker and Co. try to defend their top position in the top flight of German football in the coming weeks, they also want to finally reach the Europa League group stage with Wolfsburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. After the aforementioned flop at the start of the season at home against the Belgians from St. Gilloise, the starting position has worsened in that the pressure to get something tangible in Portugal has increased.

Although Urs Fischer and his team are refusing to treat Union as one of the two favourites to advance to the next round, it would be a disappointment if the capital’s European adventure were to end after the group stage, as it did in the Conference League in 2021/22.

But we are still a long way from that point. Before that, there are five group matches to be played, in which the Ironmen will certainly never be without a chance. Not even on Thursday in the north of Portugal. Quite the opposite. The lively and self-confident home side will certainly give away spaces for a strong switching game. It will therefore be a different game than a week ago, which is why – unlike last Thursday – we dare to predict goals for both teams between Braga and Union Berlin.

Predicted line-up of Union Berlin:
Rönnow; Jaeckel, Knoche, Leite; Trimmel, Schäfer, Khedira, Haberer, Ryerson; Becker, Siebatcheu

Last matches played by Union Berlin:

Bundesliga
11/09/2022 – 1. FC Köln 0 – 1 Union Berlin

Europa League Grp. D
08/09/2022 – Union Berlin 0 – 1 Royale Union Saint-Gilloise

Bundesliga
03/09/2022 – Union Berlin 1 – 1 Bayern Munich

27/08/2022 – Schalke 04 1 – 6 Union Berlin

20/08/2022 – Union Berlin 2 – 1 RB Leipzig

Braga – Union Berlin Direct comparison / H2H balance

Of course the two clubs will face each other for the first time in the European Cup. For Union, it is also the first competitive match against a Portuguese representative. Braga, on the other hand, have played eight matches against German Bundesliga teams so far, winning two, drawing twice and suffering four defeats. In any case, the balance will remain negative after the first leg on Thursday.

Braga – Union Berlin Tip

For many experts, Braga is considered one of the secret favourites for the Europa League title. For years, good work has been done continuously in the north of Portugal. Season after season, Sporting Club de Braga has assembled a team that has no need to hide from anyone. In the current season, it seems to be working particularly well, as the red and white team is still unbeaten at national level and also managed a 2-0 opening victory in the Europa League in Malmö.

The fact that the bookmakers are nevertheless somewhat more cautious when distributing betting odds on the three-way market between Braga and Union Berlin is due to the strength of form of the guests from Köpenick. The Eisernen have also yet to concede a defeat in the Bundesliga, most recently drawing against Bayern and thus taking over the top spot in the German top flight.

We therefore expect two self-confident teams who would like to get a three-pointer. Braga are certainly slightly favoured at home, especially as the Fischer team has not yet been able to confirm their domestic performances at international level. Nevertheless, the cult club from the capital can always be relied upon to score a goal.

In our opinion, the betting option between Braga and Union Berlin is therefore “Both score”.