Estrela Amadora and Boavista bring round five of the Portuguese Primeira Liga to an end when they go head to head at the Estadio Jose Gomes on Monday.
Having failed to win both home and away clashes between the two teams last season, Os Axadrezados will head into the game seeking to get one over the hosts and snap their three-match winless run.
Match preview
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Estrela Amadora continue to struggle for results in the new Primeira Liga campaign as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Casa Pia when the two sides squared off on August 31.
Despite their large spell of possession, the Tricolours were guilty of a lack of cutting edge at the attacking end of the pitch as Henrique Pereira netted shortly after the hour mark to hand Casa Pia a narrow victory.
Since coming from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Braga in their season opener on August 11, Estrela Amadora have now lost their subsequent three outings, suffering defeats against Famalicao, Benfica and most recently Casa Pia.
Following the two-week break, Felipe Martins and his troupe will return to the drawing board as they look to avoid losing four back-to-back Primeira Liga matches for the first time since April 2009 and get their season up and running.
Estrela's slow start to the campaign has been owing to their struggles in front of goal, where they have scored just once so far while conceding six at the opposite end of the pitch.
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Boavista, on the other hand, were left spitting feathers in their final outing before the international break as they were held to a somewhat disappointing goalless draw by Estoril Praia on August 31.
Finishing the game with an xG of 1.60, the hosts were made to rue their wasteful display in front of goal as they failed to finish off any of their clear-cut chances before settling for a share of the spoils at the Estadio do Bessa.
Prior to that, Os Axadrezados kicked off the season with promise as they secured a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior on August 10, before suffering consecutive defeats against Braga and Famalicao.
With the result against Estoril, Cristiano Bacci's side have now failed to win 12 of their last 13 Primeira Liga matches — losing seven and claiming five draws — while conceding 19 goals and scoring just eight since mid-May.
While Boavista will look to return to winning ways at the Estadio Jose Gomes, results on the road offer little optimism as they have managed just two wins and lost eight of their 12 Primeira Liga away games since the turn of the year.
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Team News
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Portuguese defender Ferro missed the game against Casa Pia last time out after sustaining a knee problem and the 27-year-old is a major doubt for Estrela Amadora.
In his absence, Tiago Gabriel was handed a starting role against Os Gansos, and after an impressive performance, the 19-year-old could pair skipper Miguel Lopes at the heart of the Tricolours' defence.
Boavista, on the other hand, will take to the pitch without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Joao Goncalves, who has been ruled out through a knee injury.
Cesar Dutra should start between the sticks for the first time since October 2022, while Ilija Vukotic, Salvador Agra and Slovakia international Robert Bozenik should lead Os Axadrezados' attack.
At the defensive end of the pitch Pedro Gomes, Rodrigo Abascal, Ibrahima Camara and Filipe Ferreira should retain their roles in the back four following the clean sheet against Estoril.
Portuguese midfielder Miguel Reisinho was forced off injured late in the game against Estoril last time out and the 25-year-old is a major doubt for Monday's clash.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Brigido; Veiga, Lopes, Gabriel, Nilton; Cordeiro; Keliano, Nani, Ruiz, Luiz; Kikas
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Dutra; Gomes, Abascal, Camara, Ferreira; Silva, Ribeiro, Perez; Vukotic, Agra, Bozenik
We say: Estrela Amadora 1-2 Boavista
Estrela have stumbled into the new campaign and will head into Monday's clash in search of a morale-boosting result. There was a feeling of disappointment for Boavista following their stalemate against Estoril, but we predict that they will take the positives from that result and secure all three points here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
