Sporting Braga have every chance of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League for the third time after a 3-0 home win over Backa Topola in the first leg of the third qualifying round.
Braga fans will play the second leg on Tuesday in Serbia and, if the transfer is confirmed, they will contest this Champions preliminary stage for the third time after beating Sevilla in 2010/11 and in 2012/ 13 – Udinese, and this season they played only in this match.
In the playoffs, the last hurdle before the group stage, entry into which immediately brings about 25 million euros to Minho’s treasury, the team led by Artur Jorge will play Panathinaikos or Marseille (Greeks won 1-0, at home, in the first leg).
Last Tuesday in Braga, Bruma (17 minutes), Pizzi (19) and Alvaro Djalo (87) scored goals in an almost one-sided match that made clear the difference between the two teams.
In their first official game of the season, Sporting de Braga had a great first half, and the result in the first half (2:0) could have been much longer.
In the second half, the team from Braga could not keep up with the pace they imposed in the first period, but they did not lose control of the game, and towards the end, Alvaro Djalo gave more justice on the scoreboard.
Bačka Topola, last season’s runner-up from Serbia, was a very short and non-aggressive team at Pedreira and only once came close to scoring a goal.
At a disadvantage and playing at home, they are expected to adopt a different, more offensive posture that the much more experienced Portuguese side in European competition can use to kill any opposition claims.
Sporting de Braga lost 2-1 at home to Famalicao on Friday at the opening of the championship, but it is unlikely that an unexpected defeat could have hurt the team ahead of the game with the Serbs, not least. because they are different competitions.
However, as Arthur Jorge acknowledged at the end, the Arsenalists made mistakes that will have to be corrected and that will no doubt go through a new pair of centre-backs, with José Fonte and Niakate back in the starting XI. , as well as experienced midfielder Pizzi, all absent from Famalisenses (French center for punishment, Portuguese internationals did not leave the bench).
The team is still training on Monday in Braga, where there will also be a preliminary press conference between the coach and the player, after which Minho’s delegation will leave for Serbia.
The second leg of the Champions’ third qualifying round will take place on Tuesday at 19:00 (Lisbon time) at the TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, in a game to be refereed by Dane Jacob Kehlet.