Monday Football Tips: Back Braga to do the business

Famalicao v Sporting Braga
Monday 15 March, 20:15
Live on Betfair

Monday night's game in the Portuguese Primeira Liga - which you can watch live on Betfair - sees second-bottom Famalicao host third-placed Braga.

The hosts have won just four of their 22 games so far - only one at home - while Braga have 16 wins from their 22 and are very much eyeing a place in next season's Champions League.

The visitors are 4/7 to add to their win tally but their price rises to 5/4 if you back them to win in a game featuring under 3.5 goals, using the Same Game Multi feature.

It's tough to see Famalicao troubling Braga too much. The league's second-lowest scorers have failed to score in three of their last four and five of their last seven.

They've rarely been torn apart though with six of their last eight games going under the 2.5 goals mark.

Adding the extra goal to the goal line provides a decent cushion - getting 2-1 also on side, as well as the 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0 scorelines.

With the hosts having a new boss in Ivo Vieira, that may be useful to have.

He'll certainly hope to get that 'dead-cat bounce' but a man with plenty of experience in this division will know he can ill afford to start life at his new club with a heavy defeat. Focus is likely to be on keeping things tight, something Famalicao have been capable of doing of late.

That was certainly the case in the reverse fixture, a game Braga could only win 1-0.

In fact, they've struggled to put away the league's lesser lights with no fewer than seven of their eight games against the bottom eight having seen under 3.5 goals. All have been won.

That's particularly encouraging for the bet and with a huge clash with fellow Champions League hopefuls Benfica looming large at the weekend, there's every chance Braga boss Carlos Carvalhal will look for his side to show good game-management in the second half if they are ahead and give some of his star men a bit of a rest.

That's another reason to think this won't be a goal-fest so, all things considered, 5/4 looks a solid play.