Benfica vs Braga prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – January 8, 2025

On Wednesday, January 8, in the semi-final of the Portuguese League Cup, Benfica will face Braga in Leiria. The match kicks off at 20:45 Central European Time. Here’s a prediction for the winner.

• Also read: Cape Town City vs Orlando Pirates prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – January 8, 2025

Interesting facts about the match and head-to-head history

• Braga is the current holder of the Portuguese League Cup.
• Benfica has lost two consecutive matches.
• Braga has remained unbeaten in the Portuguese League Cup since 2022.
• Braga has defeated Benfica in just 1 of their last 5 encounters.

Match preview

This season has been challenging for Braga, who currently sit in their usual fourth place after 17 rounds. However, with a seven-point gap from the top three, it seems unlikely that Braga will climb higher this season.

In their previous match, Carlos Carvalhal’s team pulled off an incredible away victory against Benfica. Braga scored twice before halftime and managed to hold off the Eagles to win 2-1. Before this, Braga surprisingly lost at home to Casa Pia (1-2) but defeated Santa Clara (2-0).

In the previous round of the Portuguese League Cup, Braga edged Vitória Guimarães with a 2-1 victory.

Benfica had a shaky start to the season under Roger Schmidt, who was dismissed in September. Bruno Lage took over and immediately stabilized results for the Eagles. However, recent setbacks have dropped Benfica to third place, three points behind Porto and Sporting.

Before their loss to Braga, Benfica narrowly lost 1-0 away to Sporting, significantly damaging their title aspirations—a priority for the club’s management.

In the Portuguese League Cup quarter-finals, Benfica comfortably defeated Santa Clara 3-0.

Probable lineups

• Benfica: Trubin; Bah, Tiago Araújo, Otamendi, Álvaro Fernández; Barreiro, Renato Sanches, Aursnes; Beste, Arthur Cabral, Aktürkoğlu.
• Braga: Matheus; Victor Gómez, Robson Bambu, Paulo Oliveira, Marin; Vítor Carvalho, João Moutinho, Zalazar; Ricardo Horta, El Wazzani, Bruma.

Prediction for Benfica vs Braga

Despite their loss in the previous match, Benfica looked stronger than Braga and created significantly more chances. My prediction: a victory for Benfica.