Sporting Braga will head to Greece on Tuesday night to face Panathinaikos as they try to protect their 2-1 lead in their Champions League qualifying play-off tie.

Artur Jorge’s side picked up a positive result last time out in Europe, but they saw a two-goal advantage halved as Daniel Mancini scored in the dying seconds.

The Greek giants now have a glimmer of hope, but they face an uphill challenge to overturn the result from the first leg.

Panathinaikos are normally a tough nut to crack at home, but they are as big as 11/8 to win on home soil on Tuesday evening. The draw is 23/10, while Braga are 13/8 to secure a victory on their travels.

Team news

Panathinaikos boss Ivan Jovanovic had the luxury of resting several players for his side’s opening league game against Volos NFC, a match they won 3-0 at home.

Both Mancini and Benjamin Verbic are likely to start in the final third after scoring in the first few week of the season, while Fotis Ioannidis could get the nod to replace Andraz Sporar up top.

Braga coach Jorge has not had the same stress-free preparation, as he sweats over the fitness of Al-Musrati, who limped off in the first leg between the two sides. His participation is still in doubt, meaning Andre Horta and Vitor Carvalho may get the nod in midfield.

Both teams to score @ 4/6

Home advantage should be massive for Panathinaikos on Tuesday, as they are usually solid in front of their own supporters. However, this fixture has been switched to the Olympic Stadium and that may dilute any such advantage.

Pana do not need any extra motivation on Tuesday, having not reached the group stages of the Champions League since the 2010/11 season, but they may struggle to overcome their opponents.

Both teams to score is the sensible play here, with Braga scoring eight goals in their last two competitive away contests.

Double Chance – Draw or Sporting Braga @ 8/15

Braga have made a solid start to the campaign under Jorge and he may need to tweak his tactics to secure a positive result this week.

With Al-Musrati an injury doubt, Jorge’s midfield could have to work extra hard without his quality and they will no doubt be playing safe with a narrow one-goal lead.

Braga have only lost once this season, winning their other four matches in all competitions and they have also got a fine record on the road, losing only one of their previous eight.

The home side will throw everything at them for 90 minutes, but we expect Braga to come away with at least a draw, which would be enough to seal progress.