Surprisingly, after losing to Union St-Gillois in the first leg of the Europa League group stage, the club from the German capital continues to be among the top 10 title contenders in this draw, according to bookmakers. Union Berlin played a roughly even match against the Belgian vice-champion but lost 0-1 at home. Meanwhile, Braga, who beat the Swedish champions in the first leg, are only 15th on the list of contenders. Surprisingly, before the upcoming game, bookmakers put the Portuguese club, which they regarded as less status-oriented, as the favourite.

Braga finished a solid fourth in the national championship last season, behind the Three Whales of Portuguese football. This allowed them to book a place in the group stage of the Europa League without qualifying. At the start of the new season, Braga look very confident. The team's current winning streak stands at six games, where they have "scalped" fairly tough opponents. The only loss for Braga was in their first official match of the season when the club drew 3-3 with Sporting. In general, the Portuguese look very coherent team, which was not affected even by the departure of defensive leader David Carmou in the off-season. At the same time, Simon Banza, acquired for just €3 million from Lens, scored five goals in six games.

To the credit of Union Berlin, the defeat in the first leg of the group stage was the team's first and, so far, their only defeat so far this season. In the Bundesliga, the club from the German capital took the lead after last weekend's games. In the top flight of German football, only Fischer's charges and Bayern are without defeat after six rounds. It is worth noting that the Berlin side beat Leipzig in the opening rounds and drew 1-1 with the champions from Munich. Another thing is that playing away against Braga, who are in good form, is not something to be enjoyed by any team in Europe.

There is no doubt that Portuguese football is on the rise in the European competitions this season. Clubs from this country are achieving a large number of victories, including in the Champions League. A cautious bet in favour of the hosts in the upcoming meeting.