Casa Pia and Nacional get the ball rolling in round nine of the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior on Friday.
Both sides head into the weekend off the back of contrasting results in the Taca de Portugal, with the Os Gansos storming to an emphatic victory over Amora while the visitors were sent packing by second-tier Uniao Leiria.
Match preview
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Casa Pia kicked off their Taca de Portugal campaign in style as they picked up a 5-0 victory over Campeonato de Portugal outfit Amora at the Estadio da Medideira last Saturday.
Following a goalless first half, 25-year-old striker Nuno Moreira put Amora to the sword as he netted a hat-trick to put the visitors in a commanding lead before Max Svensson scored twice to cap off a dominant team display.
Casa Pia now turn their focus to the Primeira Liga, where they will be looking to return to winning after falling to a 2-0 defeat against Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade before the international break.
Before that, Joao Pereira's men were on a four-game unbeaten run in the league, picking up back-to-back victories over Estrela Amadora and Moreirense before playing out stalemates against Gil Vicente and Vitoria de Guimaraes in September.
Casa Pia have lost four of their eight Primeira Liga matches so far while claiming two wins and two draws to collect eight points and sit 11th in the table, level on points with 12th-placed Rio Ave.
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On the other hand, Nacional's Taca de Portugal campaign came to an end last time out when they fell to a somewhat disappointing 2-1 loss against Segunda Liga side Uniao Leiria at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa.
Matheus Dias struck in the 65th minute to cancel out Marco Baixinho's first-half strike and pull Nacional level, but Daniel dos Anjos converted his 79th-minute penalty to send Uniao Leiria through to the fourth round.
This was in keeping with their struggles in the Primeira Liga, where Tiago Margarido's men have failed to win their last three games, picking up one point from a possible nine, and have managed just one win this season.
With five points from seven matches, Nacional are currently 17th in the league standings, just one point above rock-bottom Farense, but could move level on points with Friday's with all three points at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior.
While Nacional will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they have failed to win any of their five away matches across all competitions this season, losing three and claiming two draws while conceding five goals and scoring twice so far.
Team News
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Casa Pia remain without the services of Portuguese forward Henrique Pereira, who is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game after coming off injured against Moreirense in September.
The attacking duo of Kiki Afonso and 23-year-old Claudio Mendes also continue their spells on the club's injury table and will play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Moreira turned in a performance of the highest quality in the cup clash versus Amora and the 25-year-old could be rewarded with a starting role, which will see Gaizka Larrazabal sweat over his place in the XI.
As for Nacional, Margarido will be unable to call upon the services of Brazilian forward Dudu, who is yet to feature this season after picking up a severe injury in the game against Mafra on May 19.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Chico Goncalves, who has been sidelined since August, and the 20-year-old defender is also out of contention for this weekend's clash.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Kluivert, Goulart, Zolotic; Geraldes, Kraev, Brito, Lelo; Cassiano, Svensson, Moreira
Nacional possible starting lineup:
Franca; Garcia, Ze Vitor, Ulisses, Gomes; Esteves, Dias, Soumare; Appiah, Isaac, Thomas
We say: Casa Pia 2-0 Nacional
Still licking their wounds from their Taca de Portugal disappointment, Nacional will head into the weekend looking to pick up a morale-boosting result and get their campaign up and running.
However, Casa Pia will enter this one with sky-high confidence, particularly off the back of a dominant cup display, and we are backing them to claim all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
