Sporting Braga II vs FC Porto II
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Today’s free tip is in the Portuguese Liga 2 game between Sporting Braga II and FC Porto II.
Although sometimes a bit of a minefield, I have to confess to being fascinated by this league. I mean, how many leagues could be half-way through the season and yet the highest-scoring home teams in the division are in the bottom half? It’s crazy. Sporting Braga II is one of those teams. Unsurprisingly, FC Porto II is one of the others. The ‘B’ teams competing at this level tend to play a lot more freely than their counterparts because they, in essence, have nothing to gain or lose other than earning a place in the senior team. ‘B’ teams cannot get promoted from this division and if they get relegated then it’s not realistically going to take long to return, given the quality in such academies.
Therefore, with nothing to fear, the likes of Sporting Braga II and FC Porto II tend to try and impress in attack more than any other area. That approach has seen lots of kids earn early spots in the senior team in the division above over the past few years, and many more will follow in due course, I am sure. Sporting Braga is in a terrific moment right now so it’s not surprising that Sporting Braga II wants to impress more than ever, even without the necessary squad balance to showcase their true talents. The likes of Elias, Henry, Crespo, and Camara have done brilliantly for Sporting Braga II but the same cannot be said of their defence. Basically, Sporting Braga II can only succeed via attacking football, if indeed they succeed at all, so that’s all they try to do at home.
FC Porto II is a little bit more professional than Sporting Braga II, at least when playing at home. They tend to be able to contain teams – to an extent – but with nothing to lose, they ultimately end up attacking more than they probably should. They’ve got better players than Sporting Braga II, though, and that allows them to pick up more points than today’s hosts, home or away. I still think that there are a few too many temperamental players on FC Porto II’s books because some of the differentials in displays at home and on the road this season have been quite astounding. Nonetheless, their talent is undeniable, and only a fool would underestimate them.
It’s all well and good, possessing promising youngsters. I think Rui Pires, Luizao, and Madi Queta have impressed the most this season. However, they also need more experienced heads like Macedo, Costa, and Gleison to help them when naivety is rife, which is only to be expected in such a young squad, particularly when the team concedes as readily as they do on the road. Indeed, only rock-bottom Sporting Covilha have shipped more goals on the road than FC Porto II this season! FC Porto II have a good record in Braga in recent times, though. They’ll fancy their chances of getting a good result today, and I wouldn’t bet against it, though I should point out I wouldn’t advocate backing them either!
Still, the one thing that is consistent when these two teams lock horns is goals. Their last four meetings have comfortably gone over 2.5 goals and there’s nothing to suggest that this encounter will be any different. To me, it makes a lot of sense to back these two confident attacking teams to participate in an over 2.5 goals game, irrespective of which way of it goes.
Verdict: Over 2.5 goals at evens.
Wednesday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Asian Cup:
Japan vs Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan vs Oman
Qatar vs Lebanon
Australian A-League:
Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory
Perth Glory vs Sydney FC
English League Cup:
Manchester City vs Burton Albion
French Coupe de la Ligue:
AS Monaco vs Stade Rennais
Girondins de Bordeaux vs Le Havre
Paris Saint-Germain vs En Avant Guingamp
Portuguese Segunda Liga:
Estoril vs Arouca
Pacos de Ferreira vs Leixoes Matosinhos
Varzim vs Cova Piedade
Vitoria Guimaraes II vs SL Benfica II
Sporting Braga II vs FC Porto II
Penafiel vs Academico Viseu
Spanish Copa del Rey:
Girona vs Atletico Madrid
Getafe vs Real Valladolid
Villarreal CF vs RCD Espanyol
Real Madrid vs Leganes CF
Enjoy your free betting tips!