Seeking to bounce back from their respective defeats last weekend, Famalicao and Vitoria de Guimaraes lock horns at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Friday.
Both sides, who are separated by four points in the bottom half of the Primeira Liga table, have endured an underwhelming start to the campaign and will head into the game aiming to get their season up and running with all three points.
Match preview
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Famalicao were left empty handed once again when they fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Tondela at the Estadio Joao Cardoso last Saturday.
In a game where Alexandre Penetra received his marching orders, Jhon Murillo and Ivan Jamie scored for either side to end the first half level, but after Adrian Marin put the visitors ahead in the 50th minute, Juan Manuel Boselli and Renat Dadasov scored in the closing 12 minutes to turn to game on its head and end the Auriverdes' run of five consecutive defeats.
Prior to that, Ivo Vieira's men ended their six-game winless run courtesy of an emphatic 5-0 victory over Segunda Liga side Penafiel in their Taca da Liga Group B curtain-raiser last Wednesday.
Following a ninth-placed finish last campaign, Famalicao have endured a difficult start this season, and remain one of just two sides yet to taste victory in the division after picking up three draws and losing four of their seven matches.
The Famalicenses are currently rooted to the bottom of the Primeira Liga table and this has been owing to their frailties at the defensive end of the pitch, an area needing tinkering sooner rather than later if they aim to surge from the lower echelons of the table as they have shipped 12 goals and managed just one clean sheet so far.
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Vitoria de Guimaraes, meanwhile, were denied a second win on the trot last weekend when they suffered a 3-1 home defeat against high-flying Benfica.
In a nerve-wracking contest at the Dom Afonso Henriques, after Roman Yaremchuk put on a stellar first-half performance by scoring twice in an 11-minute spell, Joao Mario struck in the 73rd minute to put As Aguias in a commanding three-goal lead before Bruno Duarte pulled on back from the penalty spot five minutes later.
Prior to that, Os Vimaranense picked up a 2-0 victory over second-tier Covilha in their Taca da Liga Group A opener last Tuesday to end their run of three consecutive draws.
Vitoria de Guimaraes, who have struggled to get going this term, are now winless in six of their opening seven games, picking up four draws and losing twice.
However, for all their struggles, Pepa will be content with his side's position on the log as they are currently 10th and could rise as high as seventh with a win on Friday.
Vitoria will feel confident of coming away with the desired result as they go up against an opposing side whom they are unbeaten against in five of the six encounters between the sides, picking up three wins and two draws.
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Team News
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Heriberto Tavares, who recently completed a permanent transfer from Brest, continues his spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury against Moreirense in the season finale last term.
Twenty-year-old defender Alexandre Penetra will also sit out the game after picking up a straight red against Tondela last time out.
In his absence, Brazilian centre-back Riccieli could return to the starting XI to team up with Diogo Figueiras, Alex Nascimento and Adrian Marin at the defensive end of the pitch.
Vitoria de Guimaraes, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without Ghanaian midfielder Joseph Amoah, who has been sidelined through a long-term injury.
Tomas Handel is another name on the club's injury list after the Portuguese youngster sustained a muscle injury against Arouca two Saturdays ago.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Figueiras, Nascimento, Riccieli, Marin; Pickel, Pepe; Paulo, Jaime, Rodrigues; Banza
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Sacko, Mumin, Borevkovic, Soares; Almeida, Semedo, Andre; Edwards, Estupinan, Quaresma
We say: Famalicao 1-1 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Famalicao will need to turn a corner over the coming weeks following their disappointing start to the season. Despite their poor form in comparison to Vitoria's, we expect a cagey contest between the two sides. We predict the hosts will set up a defensive block to avoid falling to a fifth defeat and force a share of the spoils.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Vitoria de Guimaraes win with a probability of 37.05%. A win for Famalicao had a probability of 33.88% and a draw had a probability of 29.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Vitoria de Guimaraes win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.59%) and 0-2 (7.09%). The likeliest Famalicao win was 1-0 (11.8%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.39%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Vitoria de Guimaraes would win this match.
