Servette vs Braga Prediction & Betting Tips (15 August)

Servette Genève once again struggled to keep up with Young Boys and finished 3rd in the Swiss championship, only one point behind Lugano, the runner-up. However, the Swiss triumphed against Lugano in the national cup final, after a decisive penalty shootout. The season began in mid-July, with three notable victories against Luzerne, Young Boys, and Yverdon, before a first defeat this weekend against Lugano 3-1. Unlike their opponent of the day, Servette FC did not have to play a preliminary round for this competition and therefore started directly in these qualifications. Their start was promising, with a good draw in the first leg against Braga 0-0. Once again, Braga finished in 4th place in the Portuguese championship, behind the usual trio of Porto, Benfica and Sporting.

Although the difference in points with the podium was only 4 units, this position allows them to participate in qualifying for the C3. In the 2nd round, the Portuguese largely dominated Petach Tikva Israel, winning the first leg 2-0 and crushing the opponents 0-5 in the return. The preparation had been encouraging, with victories against Swiss sides Sion, Lausanne Ouchy and Lausanne, as well as a recent victory against Anderlecht 2-1. However, in the first leg of the qualifiers, the momentum came to an abrupt end, and this Portuguese team, which had scored 7 goals in two previous matches, failed to score a single goal. 

Servette can rely on the elements which have demonstrated their effectiveness since the start of the season, both in the championship and in pre-season. Among them, Derek Kutesa, the prolific winger, who scored 3 goals in 4 matches, and Enzo Crivelli, the former Ligue 1 player, author of a goal and an assist in as many matches. Miroslav Stevanovic, a 34-year-old club legend, also made headlines with two goals, although his statistics also include a large number of assists, as evidenced by a season where he distributed 20 assists in 34 matches! No major player is absent from the Swiss starting lineup. Watch out for the Braga team, which has a formidable midfielder with Rodrigo Zalazar, author of 6 goals and 6 assists last season, and scorer in the previous rounds . He is often accompanied by Ricardo Horta, successfully repositioned to shine in the Portuguese championship.

Joao Moutinho, despite his age, remains essential to creation. If Simon Banza, the usual scorer, is uncertain, Braga will be able to count on Bruma (6 goals, 2 assists), Amani El Ouazzani (new arrival from Guingamp with a goal already scored) and the young Roger Fernandes (2 goals, 7 assists) . André Horta (Ricardo's brother) is also uncertain this evening, and defenders Paulo Oliveira and Robson Bambu are out.