Braga earned a 1:1 draw in the first leg and now have a great chance to make it to the Europa League semis, although they definitely face a tough task against Dynamo. The Ukrainians completely outclassed Braga in the first leg but couldn’t create an advantage and they now have to play another good game in order to qualify for the next round.

Braga lucky to avoid defeat in Ukraine

Braga have shown a lot of progress over the last few years and they are on the road to become one of the top teams in Portugal, while the Minhotos have started to show their potential on the European stage as well. After finishing third in their Champions League group, Braga eliminated Lech Poznan and Liverpool to make it to the Europa League quarter-finals, but they probably would have liked to avoid a clash with very experienced Dynamo side. The Portuguese were lucky to avoid defeat in the first leg as they were completely outplayed by their opponents, and they definitely face another difficult match. The Minhotos face certain selection problems as well and their good home run will be put to the real test against very good Dynamo side. Let us not forget that Braga lost 3:0 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk this season, so I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if Dynamo make it to the next round.

Coach Domingos Paciencia faces a real selection headache since key defenders Alberto Rodriguez and Uwa Echiejile are unlikely to feature, while Rodriguez’s replacement Kaka misses out through suspension.

No Andriy Shevchenko

Dynamo Kiev missed out on the Champions League group stages as they were eliminated by Ajax, but the Ukrainians proved their credentials in the Europa League and are now one of the favourites for the coveted title. After easily qualifying from their group, Dynamo eliminated Fenerbahce and Manchester City quite convincingly, thus proving they are one of the best sides in the competition. Yuri Semin’s players have got a wealth of European experience, which has given them the extra edge in every European game this season and the first match against Braga showed how things stand at the moment. Dynamo completely outclassed their opponents but failed to score more than one goal from a number of chances they had, while the Portuguese scored from virtually the only chance despite having an extra man on the pitch for half an hour. I don’t think this game will be any different to that which we saw in Kiev and Dynamo remain the favourites to go through.

Andriy Shevchenko misses out through suspension, while Milos Ninkovic and Olexandr Aliyev are unavailable. Important defender Taras Mikhalik returns to contention.

Verdict

Braga were very lucky not to lose the first leg and with several important missings, I don’t think they can fare any better in the return leg. Dynamo are a very experienced team when it comes to European competitions and their superior quality should shine at Estadio AXA.

Our prediction: Dynamo Kiev to qualify

Odds: 2.20 (6/5)

Bookmaker: Sportingbet