Having won each of their four matches since the turn of the year, a rejuvenated Estoril Praia dire return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Boavista on Sunday.
Os Axadrezados, in stark contrast, head into the weekend on a run of five back-to-back defeats and will journey to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota looking to stop the rot as they try to salvage their season.
Match preview
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Estoril Praia maintained their 100% record in 2025 last Saturday when they fought back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over 10-man Gil Vicente at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.
In a game where Ruben Fernandes picked up a late red card, Felix Correia struck on the 15th-minute mark to put Gil Vicente in front but Yanis Begraoui and Kevin Boma hit back for the visitors to turn the game on its head.
Estoril Praia have now picked up four consecutive victories, having failed to win their previous four matches — losing twice and claiming two draws — and claiming just three wins from their first 16 league games this term.
This impressive turnaround has been owing to the solid job done at the attacking end of the pitch, where Ian Cathro's men have netted 10 goals across their last four matches, having scored 14 from the first 16.
Estoril Praia have picked up seven wins and six draws from their 20 Primeira Liga matches so far to collect 27 points and sit eighth in the league standings and could move level on points with sixth-placed Casa Pia with a win this weekend.
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On the other hand, Boavista were left empty handed yet again as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Famalicao when the two sides squared off last Friday.
Os Axadrezados were guilty of a toothless display at the Estadio do Bessa as Vaclav Sejk struck in the fifth minute to put Famalicao in front before Gustavo Sa doubled the lead 10 minutes after the half-time break.
Boavista have now suffered defeat in five consecutive matches and are without a win in any of their last 10 outings, losing seven and claiming three draws since a 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente on November 2.
Having secured a 15th-placed finish last season, narrowly escaping the drop on goal difference, Cristiano Bacci's men are heavy favourites to go down this term as they sit rock-bottom in the Primeira Liga table, six points away from safety.
Boavista's underwhelming campaign has been in no small part owing to their lack of firepower up top as they have netted the fewest number of goals this season (13) while they have conceded 34, one more than any other side in the division.
Team News
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Twenty-two-year-old defender Boma is a major doubt for Estoril Praia after picking up an injury following the game against Gil Vicente last time out.
Other than that, the Canarinhos head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Cathro the luxury of a relatively full strength squad at his disposal.
As for Boavista, veteran defender Rodrigo Abascal will play no part in Sunday's clash as he is set to serve the second of his three-game suspension after picking up a straight red against Braga on January 26.
On the injury front, Boavista remain without the services of Joao Goncalves and 20-year-old Morales Pires, who both continue their lengthy spell on the sidelines through knee injuries.
Marco Ribeiro is also a doubt for the visitors, having missed last week's clash against Famalicao through injury, while Julio Dabo is set to sit out his third consecutive game since coming off injured against Casa Pia on January 20.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Robles; Carvalho, Alvaro, Bacher; Pina, Xeka, Holsgrove, Amaral; Begraoui, Carvalho, Lacximicant
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Cesar; Gomes, Marques, Ferreira, Vukotic; Miguel, Camara, Reisinho, Agra; Bozenik, Namora
We say: Estoril Praia 2-0 Boavista
Estoril Praia have turned a corner since the start of the year and will be licking their lips as they take on a floundering Boavista side who have failed to taste victory since the first week of November.
We predict a one-sided affair at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota this weekend with the Canarinhos claiming all three points to heap more misery on the struggling visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
