SC Braga vs Napoli Prediction & Betting Tips - Champions League

Prediction published on 18/09/2023, 12:45  by Devesh Jaganath in Champions League Predictions

Group C in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League will get underway with Sporting Braga playing host to Napoli on Wednesday evening. The hosts finished third in the Primeira Liga last season, meaning they entered this competition in the third qualifying round. They beat TSC 7-1 on aggregate and went on to overcome Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate in the playoffs. While they have been good in Europe, The Archbishops’ league form has been less impressive. After five league games, Braga have secured seven of a possible 15 points. They lost their first match in the league as well as their last against Farense 3-1 over the weekend. Last season, The Arsenalists finished third in their group in the Europa League with 10 points in six matches. Fiorentina knocked them out of the Conference League 7-2 on aggregate thereafter. The hosts are the underdogs in this one, according to the bookies. 

Napoli, on the other hand, were incredible in the Serie A last season. They finished on 90 points, 16 clear of Lazio in second, and had wrapped up the title with several games to spare. However, like their opponents, Napoli have not made the best start to their league campaign. The Blues played out a 2-2 draw against Genoa last weekend, which followed a 2-1 loss to Lazio the previous week. They are currently fifth in Serie A with seven points, already five points behind the early leaders Inter Milan. Napoli topped their group in this competition last season with 15 points in six games. They then beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the first knockout round before losing to AC Milan in the last eight. With the likes of Real Madrid and Union Berlin also in this group, the Serie A champions will know that getting a win in this one is imperative. The bookmakers have them down as the clear favourites.