Braga - Real Madrid predictions and free betting tips [24/10/2023]

On Tuesday, 24th October, in the context of the 3rd round of the Champions League group stage, "Braga" will host "Real Madrid" at their home ground. "Los Blancos" lead the tournament table having secured six points out of a possible six, which is three points ahead of "Braga" who come in third.

Anticipated Line-ups

"Braga": Matheus; Mendes, Saatci, Niakate, Borja; Zalazar, Al-Musrati; Djalo, Horta, Bruma; Banza.
"Real Madrid": Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Kroos, Tchouameni, Valverde; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius.

Stadium

The match will take place in Braga at the City Stadium.

"Braga"

Having advanced to the group stage of the CL after a splendid performance in the qualification, "Braga" has been increasingly making it to the Eurospring, whether it's the Europa League, Conference League or the main continental championship. Having finished third in the Portuguese championship last season, the red-and-whites are currently fourth in the national championship, having secured a valuable victory over "Rio Ave" with a score of 2:1.

After their loss to "Napoli" in the first round of the CL, despite putting up more than a decent resistance, two weeks later, Riccardo Horta's charges overcame German "Union Berlin", catching up from a 2:0, with Castro scoring the decisive goal in the 94th minute (2:3). This past weekend, "Braga" triumphed over "Rebordosa" on the road (0:2) in the Round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. Prior to this, the hosts took part in the group stage of the CL in the 2012-13 season, finishing fourth in a group with "Manchester United" and "Galatasaray". 

"Real Madrid"

"Real Madrid" heads to Portugal for the final match of the first round in the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti's charges will aim for their third consecutive victory following their wins over "Union Berlin" with a 1:0 score and "Napoli" (2:3) in the Peloponnese. This past weekend, Los Blancos went to visit "Sevilla" and missed the chance to secure a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions. In the 74th minute, David Alaba scored an own goal, but Dani Carvajal levelled the scoreboard four minutes later. Drawing 1:1 in Andalusia, "Real Madrid" maintained the 1st place in La Liga, but "Girona", "Atletico" and "Barça" are hot on their heels. In this campaign, the Madrid team has only lost once, when they played against "Atletico" at Wanda Metropolitano in the derby (3:1). 

It is worth noting that "Real" has won 10 out of their 12 matches in all competitions this season, although they have only managed eight wins out of a possible 24 on the road. Carlo Ancelotti remains without the main goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and the Brazilian centre-back Militao, who are recovering from torn knee ligaments. It is expected that Turkish talent Arda Guler will be included in the squad this time, having not been on the pitch since his summer transfer. Besides the recovered Alaba, the visitors count on Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde and Jude Bellingham (8 goals, 2 assists in 8 rounds of La Liga), who has already scored twice in two group matches of the Champions League. Vinicius (scoring before the break against the national teams of Osasuna and Napoli in the Champions League), Rodrigo and Joselu (5 goals in the La Liga, 2nd best scorer in the league) will appear on the forefront of the attack.

Head-to-Head Record

These clubs have never met each other in history. Real fares well against Portuguese teams: 14 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses in 21 extreme encounters.

Predictions for the "Braga" – "Real Madrid" Match

There is no doubt that the support of the home grandstands will give additional emotional lift to the Portuguese club's players, but against Real Madrid from Madrid, this might not be enough. The La Liga leader sets themselves the task of not losing a single point at this group stage, and many leaders have returned to health after injuries. I expect a victory from Los Blancos with a -1 handicap.

Total Predictions

Despite the hosts being significantly behind the opponent in terms of class, they are in great shape and have achieved five consecutive victories in all competitions. They are more than capable of pulling off at least 1 goal.

Corner Predictions

In their previous eight matches, "Real" has consistently won on corners. On Tuesday, I expect Los Blancos to win in corners with a -1.5 handicap.

Yellow Cards Predictions

"Braga" will have to foul a lot to hold back the star-studded opponent's attack – the hosts will definitely win the yellow cards battle.

Score Predictions

I will bet on the exact score of 1:3 in favour of "Real".