Estoril Praia and Vitoria de Guimaraes will both be looking to snap their three-match winless run when they go head to head at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in round 24 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
Having won the last four meetings between the sides, Os Vimaranenses set out to complete a second consecutive league double over the hosts and move within two points of the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Match preview
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Estoril Praia were left with a bitter taste of "what could have been" last Sunday when they were held to a 3-3 draw by Vizela in an action-packed showdown at the Estadio do FC Vizela.
After Samuel Essende scored a first-half brace to hand Vizela a commanding lead, Alejandro Marques, Vinicius Zanocelo and Rafik Guitane scored quick-fire goals after the 82nd-minute mark to put the visitors ahead in dramatic fashion, but Orest Lebedenko struck in the 95th minute to force a share of the spoils.
Since Estoril Praia suffered a penalty-shootout defeat against Braga in the Taca da Liga final on January 27, they have failed to win four of their five Primeira Liga outings and are currently on a run of just one point from the last nine available in the league.
This drop-off in form has seen Estoril's three-year spell in the top flight come under threat as they sit 13th in the league table, level on 22 points with Rio Ave, Estrela Amadora and 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.
Next up for Vasco Seabra's side is the stern challenge of taking on a Vitoria de Guimaraes side who have won each of their last four meetings and are unbeaten in their last six encounters, claiming five wins and one draw since a 3-0 loss in August 2017.
While Estoril will be looking to end this seven-year run and steer clear of the danger zone, results at home offer little optimism as they have lost four of their last five matches at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, with a 1-0 victory over Estrela on February 4 being the exception.
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On the other hand, Vitoria de Guimaraes' quest for European football suffered a fresh blow last Saturday when they fell to a somewhat disappointing 2-0 defeat against Casa Pia at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.
Despite seeing a bulk of the ball possession and taking a total of 29 shots in the game, the hosts failed to breach Casa Pia's resolute defence as Clayton and Pablo scored first-half goals to hand Os Gansos all three points.
Prior to that, Vitoria de Guimaraes were on a four-game unbeaten run across all competitions, picking up two draws and two wins, including a comfortable 3-1 victory in the Taca de Portugal quarter-finals on February 8.
However, last weekend's result means that Alvaro Pacheco's men have now failed to taste victory in three consecutive league matches, claiming two points from a possible nine, and have won just one of their last five since late January.
This drop-off in form has threatened to derail Os Vimaranenses' push for a place in Europe as they now sit fifth in the league table, five points off fourth-placed Braga in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
However, Vitoria de Guimaraes will be backing themselves to extend find their feet this weekend as they have put together a decent run of results on their travels, claiming four wins and four draws in their 10 away matches across all competitions.
Team News
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Scottish midfielder Jordan Holsgrove was forced off with a muscle injury in the 2-1 loss against Braga on January 27 and the 24-year-old is set to sit out his sixth consecutive game.
He is joined on the Canarinhos' injury table by experienced defender Erick Cabaco, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury last September.
Fellow defender Pedro Alvaro has missed each of the last five matches through a muscle problem and the former Benfica man is also out of contention for Saturday's clash.
With his strike against Vizela, Alejandro Marques now has four goal involvements in his last three matches and the Venezuela international should lead the attack once again, alongside Joao Marques and French forward Guitane, who has five league goals under his belt.
As for Vitoria de Guimaraes, first-choice goalkeeper Bruno Varela is ruled out through a muscle injury, meaning that Charles da Silva should retain his role between the sticks this weekend.
Venezuelan defender Mikel Villanueva continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an injury against Benfica back in September and will play no part in Saturday's game.
Os Vimaranenses will also take to the pitch without the services of Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who has been sidelined since May 2023 through a cruciate ligament tear.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Basso, Volnei, Mangala; Tavares, Fernandes, Zanocelo, Araujo; Guitane, A Marques, J Marques
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Charles; Borevkovic, Fernandes, Ribeiro; Gaspar, Handel, T Silva, Santos, Mangas; A Silva, J Silva
We say: Estoril Praia 1-3 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Looking at past results between Estoril and Vitoria de Guimaraes, we anticipate a thrilling contest at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota this weekend. While we expect both sides to go all out in search of maximum points, we are backing Pacheco's men to extend their dominance over the hosts and claim the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
