Arouca and Famalicao draw the curtain on round nine of Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca on Monday.
While the Arouquenses will set out to snap their five-game winless streak, the visitors ended their run of three consecutive defeats last time out and will be looking to build on that result.
Match preview
© Reuters
Arouca continue to struggle for results in the new Primeira Liga campaign as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw with Pacos de Ferreira when the sides met at the Estadio Capital do Movel last Sunday.
Following a drab first half, veteran midfielder Nicolas Gaitan broke the deadlock with a 61st-minute strike to put the hosts ahead but Oday Dabbagh restored parity with six minutes left to play.
Armando Evangelista's side have now failed to win any of their last five outings, picking up three draws and losing twice since claiming consecutive victories over Gil Vicente and Santa Clara back in August.
Arouca, who secured a 15th-placed finish last season to narrowly avoid relegation, are currently 12th in the Primeira Liga standings after picking up nine points from their opening eight games.
However, the Arouquenses will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways on Monday as they take on an opposing side against whom they are unbeaten in six of the last eight meetings between the teams, claiming five wins and one draw since July 2016.
© Reuters
Famalicao, on the other hand, returned to winning ways in style as they cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Boavista when the sides squared off last Monday.
Ivo Rodrigues, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Zaydou Youssouf and Gustavo Assuncao all found the target to cap off a sensational team performance at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao.
Prior to that, Joao Pedro Sousa's men were beaten in each of their three games in September, suffering defeats against Portimonense, Benfica and Casa Pia while failing to find the back of the net in that time.
Famalicao have now picked up two wins, one draw and lost five of their opening eight games to collect seven points and sit 15th in the league standings, two points above Santa Clara in the relegation playoff spot.
While the Vila Nova will be looking to pick up successive wins for the first time this season, they have struggled to perform away from home, where they are winless in their four outings, claiming one point from a possible 12.
Team News
© Reuters
Sema Velazquez continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines as the Venezuelan defender is yet to feature this year after suffering an ACL injury back in September 2021.
He is joined on the Arouquenses injury table by Celtic loanee Ismaila Soro, who was forced off injured in last weekend's game against Pacos de Ferreira, meaning that Oriol Busquets could be thrown into the fray.
Having recently recovered from an injury, Dabbagh made his first appearance of the season when he came off the bench in the aforementioned game, and after an inspiring cameo, the 23-year-old could come into the starting XI on Monday.
Meanwhile, Famalicao will take to the pitch without the Spanish duo of Ivan Jaime and Martin Aguirregabiria, who are currently recuperating from injuries.
Diogo Queiros has been out of action since May's game against Belenenses and the 23-year-old defender is set to continue his spell on the sidelines.
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Opoku, Bass, Correia; Ruiz, Soro, Simao; Bukia, Mujica, Vitinho
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Riccieli, Mihaj, Lima; Pele, Colombatto; Rodrigues, Youssouf, Rodriguez; Millan
We say: Arouca 1-2 Famalicao
While Famalicao will be looking to build on their win over Boavista, they have struggled for results on the road this season. However, they now face an out-of-sorts Arouca side who are without a win in five consecutive outings. We anticipate a close contest at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca with the Vila Nova claiming a slender victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
