Football Bet of the Day: Santa won't get any presents

• Braga on a high after beating Benfica

• Santa Clara in poor form

Santa Clara v Braga
Thursday 05 January, 20:15

We got our first winner of 2023 last night, as PAOK edged out Alan Pardew's Aris Salonika 1-0 in a tense derby victory. I imagine Pards won't be breaking out the Dad dancing any time soon.

We'll head to Portugal now, because Braga are on a high as they head to Santa Clara, and I fancy the Archbishops to pick up another top-flight win.

Just a few days ago, Braga hammered the Primeira Liga leaders Benfica 3-0, and they have now won four of their last five league matches. Artur Jorge's side are just six points off top spot in the league, and they have won 10 of their 14 top-division games. On the road they have won six of their seven league matches, and the only exception was a 4-1 hammering at Porto.

Santa Clara lost 1-0 at Gil Vicente last week, and they have lost four of their last eight league matches. They had a disastrous campaign in the Taca da Liga, taking just one point from their four group games and crashing out of the competition. Last season The Azoreans finished seventh in the Primeira Liga, but this time around they find themselves just above the dropzone, having lost seven of their 14 games. Mario Silva's team are finding goals hard to come by - they have recorded just 11 league goals in 14 games.

Braga are full of confidence, and are more than capable of picking up the three points. We can use the Asian Handicap to back them +0 & +0.5 on the Asian Handicap at 1.910/11. If Braga win by a single goal, we get a half-win, and if they win by two goals or more, we get a full pay-out.