Celtic vs Braga Prediction: Back the Bhoys to win well in Glasgow

Europa League football returns to Celtic Park on Thursday evening, as Brendan Rodgers’ Scottish champions host a major force from the Primeira Liga (TNT Sports 17:45). The locals are strong favourites to defeat Carlos Vicens' team, but will they live up to expectations?

Betfred’s Scottish football writer Frank Monkhouse offers his Celtic vs Braga predictions and full match preview

Celtic Park provides the setting for another exciting evening of European football. The locals roll out the red carpet for opponents Sporting Braga, with Rodgers’ team the pre-match favourites with traders and pundits to secure their first win of the campaign at the second attempt. They managed a battling draw in Belgrade last time out, but everyone connected to the home dressing room is eager to go one better here.

Football Odds

Sporting Braga travel from Portugal to Scotland, having secured a 1-0 home win over Dutch legends Feyenoord. The victors needed a goal from Fran Navarro with 79 minutes on the clock, staging a late smash-and-grab on the points. It wasn’t pretty by anyone’s standards, but points matter more than performances at this stage of the competition. Braga would love another win, regardless of how close the match is on Thursday.

Celtic vs Braga Odds

Celtic followed that hard-earned draw with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia with another share of the spoils versus Hibs at this venue on Saturday. The Bhoys ended September with two wins from four starts. They beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park, thanks to a 96th-minute penalty. They then made light work of Partick Thistle in the League Cup, leaving Firhill with a 4-0 win to book a spot in the semi-finals. Celtic shared two goals with Red Star before being held to a goalless draw by Hibs in Glasgow. The home win is 19/20, and you can add that bet to your midweek accumulators.

Braga are currently seventh in the top tier of Portuguese professional football, with their stats showing two wins, three draws and a couple of defeats. The nine points collected mean they are already a dozen behind early leaders Porto, who have a 100% record at this stage. Braga won their first two games, but are winless in five since, drawing three and losing two. Braga lost 1-0 at home to Nacional on Sunday, making them easy to oppose ahead of a tricky trip to Scotland’s largest city. Fancy an upset here? You can back Braga to win at the 11/4 offered by Betfred or play the draw at 13/5.

Today's Football Fixtures

Over 2.5 goals @ 4/5

Our first bet in Glasgow is for Celtic vs Braga to produce more than three goals from both teams combined. You’ll find this market on the Betfred website and app near the top of the list. It doesn’t matter which team scores the goals or players hit the net. As long as we see three or more goals, you’ll be celebrating a handy profit. If Celtic win 3-0 or Braga leave with a 2-2 draw, the result remains the same - you’ll boost your balance.

On studying the relevant stats, we note that over 2.5 goals was a winning bet when Celtic beat Partick and Kilmarnock last month. It was also the right choice when the Hoops thrashed Livingston 3-0 and Falkirk 4-1 at this venue. Looking at their opponents, Braga have scored at least one goal against Feyenoord and Guimaraes in recent meetings, and will play their part in an exciting match on Thursday. You can add over 2.5 goals to your multiples, including a total goals accumulator.

Celtic to win @ 19/20

Our second pick on Celtic vs Braga is for the home team to win. Victory would extend the locals’ unbeaten start to two games, bringing their total to four points from a possible six. They showed real character and fighting spirit to leave Belgrade with a share of the spoils, and something similar on matchday two should be enough to see them go one better. Their best would be good enough.

These teams have met only once before at this venue, with Celtic beating Braga 2-1 in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League. The visitors took the lead that night, but Celtic got themselves level through Gary Hooper before a late goal from Efrain Juarez swung the match in their favour. The atmosphere inside the stadium will be electric, and I’m confident the crowd will prove to be the 12th man for Celtic, pushing them across the line.

Offers

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