Napoli vs Sporting Braga H2H Odds & Preview
Group C Showdown in Naples
Braga Need Win to Stay Alive
One of the most important Champions League matches of the week is Napoli vs. Braga. Hosts Napoli need just a draw to advance to the round of 16. A 2-1 or 1-0 loss will also send Napoli through to the knockout stage. It’s a tall task for Braga to defeat Napoli by a two-goal margin or score three or more goals in a victory. However, that’s what they’ll need to advance to the round of 16. For Tuesday’s crucial Group C match, we’ll cover the Napoli vs. Sporting Braga H2H odds.
Napoli vs Braga
Date, time:
Location: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
The first Napoli vs Sporting Braga H2H matchup in UEFA sanctioned competition was back in September. Napoli took the lead in the first half through Giovanni di Lorenzo and Braga’s Bruma equalized with just minutes to play. Napoli took a late lead in the match on a Braga own goal and came away with a 2-1 win. The pre-game Champions League odds priced Napoli as -130 favorites.
Napoli on Three-Game Losing Streak
Walter Mazzarri has been thrown into the fire in his second spell as Napoli head coach. Napoli’s last four games have been vs. Atalanta, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus. Since the Partenopei picked up a 2-1 win over Atalanta in Mazzarri’s first match back, they’ve lost their last three games. On Friday, Napoli fell 1-0 to Juventus at the Allianz Stadium.
Kvicha Kvaratskhelia had an excellent chance in the first half but skied it over the bar. Juve’s Federico Gtti headed in a cross for the game’s only goal. Defending Serie A champions Napoli have dropped out of the top four but they’re in a decent position in the Champions League. They’re 2-1-2 and barring disaster, they’ll advance to the round of 16.
Left backs Mathias Olivera and Mario Rui are on the UCL injury list and the starting back four has been Juan Jesus, Natan, Amir Rrahmani and Gio Di Lorenzo lately. Napoli have failed to score in their last two matches and Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen haven’t been their usual selves as of late. With their recent struggles, Tuesday is a massive match for Napoli to get back on track.
Braga Need to Score Early and Often
Braga have been the top scoring team in the Primeira Liga this season and got on the scoresheet three times on Friday. Simon Banza scored twice and Bruma scored a late empty net goal to seal Braga’s 3-1 win over Vizela. While Braga have averaged well over two goals per game in the Primeira Liga, they’ve scored just six times in five matches in the Champions League.
Heading into the final group stage matchday, Braga are in third place in the Group C UCL standings. They’ll need to keep their shooting boots on to have a chance to make it through to the round of 16 in this one. Bettors should note that Braga have never before advanced to the Champions League knockout stage. Despite going a man down in their last Champions League match, Braga managed to draw 1-1 vs. Union Berlin.
Had Braga lost the match, they would have been eliminated from knockout stage contention. Braga head into this match having only failed to score once all season, in all competitions. Defender Sikou Niakate is out suspended for this match but there are no names on the injury list here.
Match Analysis & Odds
Needing a win, and a few goals to boot, expect Braga to go for it here. That doesn’t mean the game will be wide open from the start but Braga will start to get desperate towards the end of the match if things are still close. The Napoli vs Sporting Braga H2H odds currently price the hosts Napoli as -215 favorites. The Partenopei may be in the middle of a poor run of form but this is exactly the kind of match they’re expected to win.
Still, they have struggled at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this season. Napoli have compiled just a 2-2-5 record at home this season, in all competitions. Bettors considering Napoli -1, -1.5 at +105 odds may want to be cautious. Meanwhile, Braga come in as +525 underdogs as they look to add to Napoli’s misery. Braga +1, +1.5 sits at -125 in what should be a close match.
Questions will certainly be asked of Mazzarri if Napoli fail to qualify for the round of 16. They’re already 14 points behind Inter Milan in Serie A and their season would be rendered almost meaningless in December. So, expect the Partenopei and Braga to both be motivated. Under three goals come in at -125 odds for this one, while a draw is priced at +360.
