On a run of nine games without a win, Boavista take a trip to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota to face Estoril Praia in round 24 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
The hosts, meanwhile, will be looking to quickly bounce back to winning ways after seeing their three-game unbeaten run come to an end against Sporting Lisbon last time out.
Match preview
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Estoril Praia were sent crashing back down to earth in the Primeira Liga as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last Sunday.
In a game where Raul Silva received his marching orders, Pedro Goncalves, Matheus Reis and Pablo Sarabia were all on target to hand the defending champions a comfortable home victory.
For the Canarinhos, this followed a 1-0 victory over Tondela at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota where scored struck the winner four minutes away from time to end their eight-game winless run.
With 30 points from 23 games, Estoril Praia are currently seventh in the Primeira Liga standings, level on points with sixth-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes and 10 behind Gil Vicente in the final Conference League qualification spot.
Bruno Pinheiro's side will now return to home turf where they have managed just one win in their most recent nine outings, picking up five draws and losing three in that time.
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Meanwhile, Boavista turned in a performance of the highest quality last time out when they fought back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with Benfica at the Estadio do Bessa.
After Adel Taarabt and Alejandro Grimaldo put As Aguias two goals up heading into the half-time break, Gustavo Sauer pulled one back in the 74th minute before Gaius Makouta struck six minutes later to restore parity.
While manager Petit will be impressed with that performance, that was a third consecutive draw for his side, who last picked up a win on December 19, when they saw off Moreirense 1-0 on home turf.
Most of their struggles this season have come on enemy territory where they are one of just two sides yet to taste victory and boast the division's second-worst record with five points from 11 games so far.
With 22 points from 23 games, Boavista are currently 14th in the league standings, just two points above 16th-placed Tondela in the relegation playoff spot.
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Team News
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Estoril Praia will take to the pitch without the services of veteran forward Rui Fonte after the 31-year-old came off injured just 29 minutes into the game against Maritimo three Saturdays ago.
He is joined on the club's injury table by newly-signed Ruben Providence as the former Roma forward awaits his debut after arriving at the club with a slight ankle problem.
Twenty-five-year-old defender Lucas Africo is also out of contention for Sunday's hosts as he continues his journey to full fitness after picking up a knee injury last November.
Meanwhile, Petit will be unable to call upon the services of 22-year-old Miguel Reisinho, who has been out of action since last August after suffering a severe knee problem.
Pedro Malheiro will also play no part for Os Axadrezados as the Portuguese forward is currently recuperating from a muscle problem he picked up against Arouca back in November.
Sporting Lisbon loanee Tiago Ilori was hooked off injured just 18 minutes into the game against Benfica last time out and the 28-year-old defender is a major doubt for Sunday's visitors.
However, Boavista will be boosted by the return of Jackson Porozo after the Ecuadorian defender missed the game against Benfica last time out through suspension after receiving his marching orders in the game against Portimonense on February 12.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Patrick, Ferraresi, Vital, Joaozinho; Loreintz, Gamboa, Franco; Baro, Xavier, Laurenco
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Bracali; Ferreira, Cannon, Porozo, Abascal, Santos; Makouta, Gorre, Sauer, Perez; Musa
We say: Estoril Praia 1-2 Boavista
Winless in each of their last nine games in all competitions, Boavista head into Sunday's game in dire need of a morale-boosting win as they risk dropping into the relegation places. However, we predict they will take the positives from their fine display against Benfica and come away with all three points against a floundering Estoril Praia side.
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 Estoril Praia win with a probability of 46.04%. A win for Boavista had a probability of 27.3% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Estoril Praia win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.97%) and 2-0 (8.71%). The likeliest Boavista win was 0-1 (8.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 1.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted that Boavista would win this match.
