Fresh off the back of reaching the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal, Estrela Amadora and Vitoria de Guimaraes go head to head at the Estadio Jose Gomes on Sunday.
Having lost both home and away meetings between the two teams last season, the Tricolores will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors and secure consecutive home wins for the first time since October 2023.
Match preview
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Estrela Amadora were made to work their socks off in their opening game of the Taca de Portugal as they picked up a 3-1 victory over third-tier side Anadia at the Estadio Municipal Engenheiro Silvio Henriques Cerveira last Saturday.
After falling behind to Yan Maranhao's 25th-minute opener, the visitors forced their way into the game courtesy of a 92nd-minute own goal from Pedro Gaio to take the game to extra time, where Rodrigo Pinho and Andre Luiz hit the target to turn the game on its head.
Head coach Jose Faria will hope that his side's resilient cup display can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as they turn their focus to the Primeira Liga, where they were sent crashing back down to earth just before the international break when they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Gil Vicente.
Prior to the defeat, Estrela picked up their first win of the new league campaign on September 28, when they edged out Moreirense 2-1 on home turf courtesy of first-half goals from Leonel Bucca and Kikas.
The Tricolores have managed just one win from their eight games to start the new Primeira Liga campaign while losing five and claiming two draws to collect five points and sit 16th in the table, just one point above rock-bottom Farense.
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On the other hand, Vitoria de Guimaraes made it two wins from two in the new Conference League campaign as they edged out Swedish outfit Djurgarden 2-1 when the two sides squared off on Thursday.
Following a relatively uneventful first half at the Tele2 Arena, Manuel Silva and substitute Nuno Santos scored on either side of Daniel Stensson's 62nd-minute equaliser to hand the visitors all three points.
This followed a 3-1 victory over Pacos de Ferreira in the third round of the Taca de Portugal five days earlier, when Bruno Gaspar, Samu and Joao Mendes all hit the target at the Capital do Movel Municipal Stadium to send Os Vimaranenses through to the fourth round.
After two positive cup results, Vitoria de Guimaraes now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they have failed to win their last three outings, losing once and claiming two draws since picking up consecutive wins against Famalicao and Braga in September.
Despite their recent drop-off in form in the league, head coach Rui Borges will be delighted with the start to the campaign as they are unbeaten in six of their opening eight games, claiming four wins and two draws while scoring nine goals and conceding eight so far.
With 14 points from the first 24 available, Vitoria de Guimaraes are currently sixth in the Primeira Liga standings but could move into third place with all three points this weekend.
Team News
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Estrela Amadora will take to the pitch without Issiar Drame, who is set to sit out his second consecutive game after picking up a muscle problem against Gil Vicente on October 5.
Portuguese defender Ferro played the entire 120 minutes against Anadia last time out having recently returned from the sidelines and the 27-year-old could feature this weekend.
As for Vitoria de Guimaraes, they will have to cope without Gustavo Silva, who has missed the last two games since picking up an injury against Boavista on October 6.
Jorge Fernandes has been out of action since coming off injured against AVS in the second gameweek back in August and the 27-year-old will play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Brigido; Travassos, Gabriel, Cissokho, Nilton; Bucca, Jesus, Cordeiro, Mamede; Cabral, Kikas
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Gaspar, Borevkovic, Villanueva, Mendes; Silva, Handel, Samu; Cesar, Oliveira, Silva
We say: Estrela Amadora 1-3 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Off the back of two consecutive cup victories, Vitoria de Guimaraes will return to league action with renewed confidence as they look to end their three-game winless run.
While Estrela appear to have hit their stride of late, they have struggled to impose themselves on home turf this season and we see them struggling this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
