Union Berlin - Braga predictions and free betting tips [03/10/2023]

On Tuesday, October 3rd, in the frame of the 2nd round of the Champions League's group stage, Union will host Braga on its pitch. The hosts suffered a bitter defeat in their Champions League debut against Real Madrid with a score of 1:0, while Braga lost at home to Napoli – 1:2.

Predicted Lineups

Union: Ronnow; Doekhi, Bonucci, Leite; Juranovic, Kral, Tousart, Laidouni, Gosens; Becker, Behrens.
Braga: Matheus; Oliveira, Fonte, Niakate, Borja; Carvalho, Al Musrati; Djalo, Horta, Bruma; Ruiz.  

Stadium

The match will take place in Berlin at the Olympiastadion.

Union

Union's Champions League debut took place two weeks ago, when the Berlin team faced the most successful club in the history of the tournament - Real Madrid. Despite the obvious supremacy of Los Blancos, the Germans could have held a goalless draw, but it was the former Borussia Dortmund player Jude Bellingham who scored the only goal towards the end of the match. The championship isn't going smoothly for The Irons: they've lost their last four matches against RB Leipzig (0:3), Wolfsburg (2:1), Hoffenheim (0:2), and finally Heidenheim (1:0) last weekend. As a result, the red-whites occupy only 11th place in the overall standings with 6 points. Urs Fischer's charges are aware of the importance of the match against Braga at this stage of the campaign, as they need to win both matches to stand a chance of reaching the playoffs.

Braga

Braga's qualification for the Champions League is a reward for the hard work the club has put in over the past two seasons. The red-whites finished third in the Portuguese Championship and defeated Greek Panathinaikos in the playoff for the group stage of the main continental tournament, winning both matches (2:1, 0:1). Two weeks ago, the southerners hosted Italy's current champions - Napoli, and lost in a dramatic twist: everything was decided by an own goal from central defender Niakate (1:2).

After that, the Portuguese demolished Boavista at home (4:1), and last weekend they defeated Estrela away from home (2:4). At the moment, the visitors occupy fifth place in the Primeira Liga table with 13 points from seven rounds. Last time Braga participated in the Champions League was in the 2012-2013 season, but then they ended up fourth in their quartet. 

H2H Meetings

Last season these teams met in the group stage of the Europa League, and in both cases home victories were scored with a minimal advantage (1:0, 1:0).

Prediction for the Union vs. Braga Match

Although the German team is playing at home in the Champions League for the first time, the hosts are just not able to regain their form of previous seasons: The Irons have already lost five straight matches in all competitions. Braga, on the other hand, can at least hope for a draw in Germany, especially since the southerners are performing successfully on their home field. The visitors' chances of not losing on Tuesday seem undervalued.

Total Prediction

Portuguese Orta was one of the main champions of his team qualifying for the Champions League. The same can be said about his attacking partner – Banza. Considering the problems faced by Berlin in recent matches, I recommend backing the guests' individual total to be over 1.

Corner Prediction

The Union prefers vertical attacks with plenty of set pieces and crosses into the box to combination plays. I'm confident that the hosts will take at least 5 corners on their field.

Yellow Card Prediction

I don't expect a plethora of yellow cards here, given that the teams aren't known for their roughness on the field. My prediction is that the total caution will be under 4.5.

Score Prediction

I'm backing a precise score of 2:2.