Breaking down this matchup, we have Sporting Braga versus CD Nacional. Now, bring out the noise makers for those Braga goalkeepers, Matheus and Lukáš Horníček. Matheus has had an impressive season with a 7.10 rating and 9 saves. Lukáš Horníček, slightly behind with a 6.90 rating and 1 save, gives us a silent nod of approval. CD Nacional's Lucas França, however, is taking a backseat with a 6.73 rating and 8 saves. Not to be overlooked, but clearly not up to Braga's level of guarding.
As we sift through the hoard of top players, standouts for Sporting Braga include Rodrigo Zalazar and Paulo Oliveira. Zalazar's impressive 2 goals and 3 shots on goal is significantly complemented by an accurate pass percentage of 82.9. Oliveira, although goalless, brings a noticeable passing precision of 71.8%.
CD Nacional counters with Luís Esteves and Gustavo García, but they pale in comparison to Braga's Zalazar and Oliveira. Stats are stats, but they're a screaming neon sign in this case. Esteves and García, although showing some fight with a few shots on goal between them, lack impressive ratings and really offer nothing to write home about.
Look over the recent regular season records, and you see a story of struggle for CD Nacional with 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses. Braga, metropolitan in comparison with 2 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss. Their recent results point to similar circumstances with Braga having a significant advantage.
Taking all this into account, someone's going to be singing victory tunes and it won't be CD Nacional. Expect Sporting Braga to keep up their early season form, sorry Nacional fans. Here you have it:
Albert’s Prediction: Sporting Braga by 1