UEFA Europa League: Sporting de Braga v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK Odds and Betting Preview

BRAGA, PORTUGAL - Portuguese outfit Sporting de Braga entertain Turkish giants Beşiktaş tonight in the early Europa League clash. Braga’s former player and coach Carlos Carvalhal makes an unexpected return to Cávado as the coach of Beşiktaş, with the Black Eagles looking to take the upper-hand in the tie before the return leg in Istanbul in two weeks’ time.

Braga go into the match as favourites, and the Archbishops can be backed at 8/11 (bet £11 to make £8 profit) with Stan James and Sky Bet to win in front of their own fans. A draw would leave it with all still to play for at İnönü Stadium at 11/4 with bet365, whilst a win for Beşiktaş is a 4/1 chance with Bet Victor and Ladbrokes.

Leonardo Jardim’s Braga side are currently sitting third in the Portuguese league, eight points off the leaders Benfica. However Braga have been playing out of the skin recently, and have won their previous nine games in all competitions, the most recent of which they won 3-0 against lowly Vitória F.C.on Friday. The Portuguese side are the new Europa League specialists, having made it all the way to the final last year, and only losing just one of their eight European games this season. Beşiktaş will certainly be a tougher match than Birmingham City, but considering the form that Braga in, it is clear to see why they have been backed into 4/5 from 5/6 with Stan James to qualify from the tie.

Carvalhal is certainly going to have a strange evening as he bids to get a result in the town where he was born and grew up. Beşiktaş also have six Portuguese players in their ranks, including Manchester United loanee Bébé, Simão and Ricardo Quaresma. The Turks are also third in their domestic league, but have not been in brilliant from recently, losing three of their past four games. Fans will be hoping that they bounce back in the Europa League, especially after topping Group E ahead of Stoke and having a manager that ought to know Braga’s weaknesses.

In the correct score betting, punters have the choice of backing 1-0 to Braga at 6/1 with Stan James, or 2-0 to the home side at 7/1 with Paddy Power at the head of the market. 1-1 is also right up there at 7/1 with Coral, and would surely hand the advantage to BeÅŸiktaÅŸ ahead of the return leg. 2-1 to Braga is given a chance at 15/2 by Blue Square, and would leave all to play for in Istanbul, whilst Carvalhal is 12/1 with bet365 to mastermind a 1-0 win away from home against his former club. At bigger odds bet365 have cut 2-0 to BeÅŸiktaÅŸ from 28/1 into 25/1, whilst Paddy Power have also seen fit to slash a 5-0 whitewash to Braga from 100/1 into 75/1 as punters get behind the home side in numbers.

Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima is the man in form for Braga, having scored a brace on Friday night, and he is a worthy market leader in the first goalscorer betting at 5/1 with bet365 and 888sport. The 28-year-old has scored eight goals in 26 European matches, so some may prefer the look of team-mate Nuno Gomes, who has scored 16 times in the Europa League and can be backed at 11/2 with Sky Bet to notch the first goal of the game. Former Newcastle United man Hugo Viana has plenty of experience and is on offer at 14/1 with William Hill, whilst Beşiktaş’ best shot is through Hugo Almeida, who is 11/1 with Bet Victor to score first.

Braga fans can back the hosts at a high of 2/1 with Ladbrokes to be leading at both half-time and full-time, and it is 13/5 with Blue Square that Braga win the game by a single goal. ‘Both teams to score’ is 10/11 with Sky Bet, whilst Rodrigo Lima is 17/2 with bet365 to steal the headlines by scoring two or more goals in the game.

The match kicks-off at 5.30pm local time on Tuesday 14 February, which is also 5.30pm in the UK. It is live on ESPN HD.

SC Braga v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK Match Odds

SC Braga v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK First Goalscorer Odds

SC Braga v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK HT/FT Odds

SC Braga v BeÅŸiktaÅŸ JK Correct Score Odds