Braga vs Betis prediction 08.04.2026 | Europa League

Braga are improving every season. They firmly established themselves as the fourth-best team in Portugal, and Carlos Vicens' team is now taking another step forward, even in the Europa League, as they are in a good position for their first semifinal in 15 years. However, Braga's form is the only concern, as they have won only two of the last five matches across all competitions. In the previous game, Braga won 1-0 on the road against Moreirense. Although it was a minimal victory, the guests had significantly better goal-scoring chances, and anything other than three points for Braga would feel undeserved.

Braga's head coach, Carlos Vicens, was pleased with the victory in Moreira de Conegos. He said, "What I liked most was that the team never stopped trying to attack, always had the intention of getting the second goal and therefore spent a lot of time in the opponent's half. We didn't get the second goal, but we are happy to have secured the three points."

Braga have some problems with missing players. They will be without Adrian Barisic, Rodrigo Zalazar, and Alaa Bellaarouch on Thursday evening. Also, Vitor Carvalho is questionable, and his status will be clearer closer to the kickoff.

Betis are excellent for most of the 2025/26 season. They are fifth in La Liga and it will not be surprising if we see them in the Champions League next season. However, their form is concerning, as Manuel Pellegrini's team has won only once in the last eight matches in all competitions. Last weekend, they played 0-0 at home against Espanyol. The hosts ended with 70% ball possession and numerous good opportunities, but their inefficiency cost them two points that time.

Although Betis didn't win over the weekend, the head coach, Manuel Pellegrini, was still satisfied with his team's performance. He said, "I think we played a very complete match in every sense because we had a lot of possession. Defensively, they didn't have a single shot on goal. We had four or five very clear scoring opportunities, especially in the first half, which we didn't convert; then we had Pablo Garcia's shot that hit the post. As for our collective performance, there's not much to complain about, but you have to put your chances away. We couldn't, and we let two important points slip away here at home."

Junior Firpo, Isco, Giovani Lo Celso, and Angel Ortiz are injured and will not play on Thursday in Braga.

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