The first leg of the semifinal in Portugal will feature experienced European contenders Braga and debutants at this stage, Freiburg. The hosts have lost only once in their last 14 home matches. The visitors, on the other hand, are coming into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats in Germany (0-4 to Borussia Dortmund and elimination from the Cup). However, they eliminated Celta Vigo and Genk in the Europa League, scoring 11 goals in their last three European matches.
A key factor is the Germans' recent scoring record. Seven of Freiburg's last nine matches have ended with over 2.5 goals, and their attack, led by Yuito Suzuki (four goals in the Europa League), is capable of upsetting the Portuguese even on the road. However, the visitors have serious personnel problems in midfield (Osterheid and Kjaere are injured), which exacerbates their already vulnerable defense, which has conceded in four consecutive matches.
Braga is averaging 2.22 goals per home match in this Europa League campaign. Given the Portuguese side's aggressive start (scoring first in eight of their last nine games), the attacking form of both sides, and the lack of previous head-to-head matches, even two goals guarantee a return of the bet, and three or more a clear victory.
