Leicester City vs Braga Odds & Prediction: Undefeated Teams Meet in Europa League Group G

• Leicester and Braga meet on Thursday, November 5th at the King Power Stadium
• Both teams have won their opening two Europa League matches to sit first and second in Group G
• Get the latest odds, betting discussion and a pick below

Leicester City and Braga are sitting pretty in Europa League Group G after two matchdays. They have six points apiece, putting them in a commanding position ahead of AEK Athens and Zorya, who are both yet to get off the mark.

This is the first-ever European fixture between the two teams. Leicester’s only previous meeting with a Portuguese side came against Porto in the 2016-17 Champions League group stage – the Foxes won 1-0 at home but suffered a 5-0 defeat on the road.

The home team is favored to get the better of Braga on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 pm EST, one of several matches taking place on Europa League Group Stage Matchday 3.

Leicester City vs Braga Odds

All odds taken Nov 4. at DraftKings

Rodgers’ Selection

Brendan Rodgers’ early Europa League team selections show he is taking the competition seriously. There will be rotation for the visit of Braga, but a strong team is still expected from Rodgers.

Kelechi Iheanacho is a more than able deputy if Rodgers opts to give Vardy the night off, while James Maddison could be in line for a start after a substitute appearance at the weekend. Cengiz Under should start too after registering two assists in his last three appearances.

A reminder that Leicester City are playing like this without:
Evans
Ndidi
Castagne
Pereira
Soyuncu
Amartey

And with Maddison still not 100% so on the bench.

— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) November 2, 2020

While the two wins over AEK and Zorya give Leicester margin for error, Rodgers will likely see this match as an opportunity to put the group to bed. A win on Thursday will as good as secure Leicester’s place in the knockout rounds, enabling the former Swansea manager to rest his key players in the latter group fixtures.

In-Form Visitors

Braga comes into this match full of confidence. It’s six wins on the bounce in all competitions for the visitors, putting them third in Portugal’s top flight despite losing their first two league matches of the campaign. They took an early lead against Zorya and outclassed AEK, getting off 22 shots in a 3-0 win.

Nico Gaitan is the star name for Braga, and the 32-year-old is expected to lead the line in a 3-5-2 on Thursday. Gaitan might be past his peak years, but he’s still a key player to watch out for at the King Power. The Argentine got on the score sheet against Zorya and is +700 to open the scoring.

Leicester vs Braga Europa League Statistics

Braga Leaving Space

Leicester have had less than 50% possession in both of their Europa League matches. Rodgers’ side are content relinquishing possession and will thrive if Braga is cautious with the ball. Leicester is happy letting teams tap the ball around in midfield, and will seize on the slightest opportunity to break.

Leeds were caught out by the Foxes’ electric counters on Monday. Braga has given up plenty of shots to AEK and Zorya – they need to be much more solid defensively against this Leicester side. Even if Rodgers rotates, they will have plenty of attacking talent to do damage if they give the ball away cheaply. Leicester will let Braga play like the home team.

Home Win the Way to Go

Braga carry good form into this match. The odds accurately reflect how competitive this match should be, though Leicester rightly has the edge. The Foxes might have struggled at home of late, but they should have the quality to see off Braga.

Big 😁😁😁 all round ahead of #LeiBrg!#UEL pic.twitter.com/oUX0TNpQhk

— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 4, 2020

The -130 on Leicester to win is a decent bet. The +148 on Leicester at -1 is tempting, too.

There are several good options for this match. Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored one and assisted two against Zorya, looks good value at +128 to score anytime and +800 to score two or more.

Pick: Leicester -1 (+148)