Surprise guests Sporting Braga begin Champions League Group H at Emirates Stadium against a top-form Arsenal side. Although Arsene Wenger has some serious selection problems, his team continues to perform without a loss in the past 11 games. Gunners are currently 2nd in the Premier League, having scored 13 times in the first 4 matches.This weekend's match was also at home against
Bolton Wanderers, where they won with a convincing 4-1 scoreline.
After finishing 2nd in the Portuguese Liga last year, Braga joins Benfica in this year's version of the Champions League. They are just off a tough 3-2 loss at Porto on Saturday, which puts them in 4th place after 4 games. Braga has a formidable offence in the trio of Alan, Lima and Paulo Cesar, which could potentially cause problems for the Gunners.
UEFA Champions League, Group H: Arsenal FC vs. Sporting Braga
Date: 15 September, 2010 - 20:45 CET
Venue: Emirates Stadium - London
Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)
Arsenal:
Goalkeeper: Almunia
Defenders: Sagna, Vermaelen, Squillaci, Clichy
Midfielders: Song, Fabregas, Denilson, Rosicky
Forwards: Arshavin, Chamakh
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Injured: Van Persie, Walcott, Nasri, Ramsey, Bendtner
Booked: -
Braga:
Keeper: Felipe
Defenders: Miguel Garcia, Moises, Rodriguez, Silvio
Midfielders: Salinho, Aguiar, Vandinho
Forwards: Alan, Lima, Paulo Cesar
Manager: Domingos Paciencia
Injured: -
Booked: -
Weather Forecast/Conditions
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Overall:
Mostly CloudyTemperature: 15°
Chance/Precipitation: 10%
Humidity: 61%
Last meeting: These teams have not previously met
Wins Arsenal: 0
Wins Braga: 0
Draws: 0
Arsenal are decent favorites here but have been surprised by Portuguese teams before. Last year's
Champions League saw them paired with FC Porto. They began the tie with a 2-1 away loss before claiming the next round berth with a 5-0 home victory. As this fixture will be played at Emirates, I expect Arsenal to perform with similar quality to that we have seen so far in the Premiership.
Tip: Arsenal -1.5 (Asian Hanicap)
Currently the best odds for this result can be found at
Betfair.
