Two sides in need of a morale-boosting victory go toe to toe on Sunday as Maritimo welcome Pacos de Ferreira to the Estadio do Maritimo on Sunday.
The hosts will be desperate to pick up their first home victory of the season, while the visitors will be looking to bounce back from their cup exit last time out.
Match preview
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Maritimo were left empty-handed once again when they fell to a disappointing 4-2 defeat at the hands of Tondela at the Estadio Joao Cardoso on November 7.
After Joao Pedro scored a first-half hat-trick, Tondela had to see off a late comeback after Matheus Costa and Ali Alipour scored late goals for Maritimo as Pedro Augusto netted in the 99th-minute to secure all three points.
Maritimo have now lost each of their most recent four outings across all competitions, including the game against second-tier Varzim which saw their Taca de Portugal campaign come to an end back in October.
They are also without a win in any of their last 10 games, picking up four draws and losing six since a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Belenenses back in August.
This poor run of results sees Maritimo sit 17th in the Primeira Liga standings, one point above rock-bottom Santa Clara after picking up just seven points from 33 available.
While Vasco Seabra's men will be looking to pick up their first win since round two, next up is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of the most recent three meetings between the sides, losing twice and picking up one draw.
Like the hosts, Pacos de Ferreira have struggled to get going this season, and are currently 11th on the log, five places and three points above the relegation spot.
Os Castores saw their run of two consecutive draws in the Primeira Liga come to an end in their last league outing when they lost 2-0 to reigning champions Sporting Lisbon on home turf.
In a one-sided affair at the Estadio Capital do Movel, Goncalo Inacio broke the deadlock in the 47th minute before Pedro Goncalves doubled the advantage 22 minutes later.
Pacos de Ferreira head into Sunday's game fresh off the back of crashing out of the Taca de Portugal courtesy of a 4-1 loss against Benfica last Friday.
After falling behind to Nuno Santos's 52nd-minute opener, Benfica upped the ante and hit four goals in the final 12 minutes of the game through Alejandro Grimaldo, Haris Seferovic, Rafa Silva and Everton.
Jorge Simao's men have now failed to taste victory in each of their last seven league outings, dating back to a 1-0 win over Portimonense back in August, and this has been down to their lethargic frontmen, who have scored the third-fewest goals in the division with nine.
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Team News
Former Moreirense and Boavista manager Vasco Seabra will oversee his first game in charge of Maritimo this Sunday after taking over the reins from Julio Velazquez, who was recently relieved of his role as head coach.
O Maior das Ilhas will take to the pitch without the services of 25-year-old Ruben Macedo who continues his spell on the sidelines through injury.
Portuguese midfielder Pedro Pelagio will also play no part in this one after picking up a red card in the defeat at the hands of Tondela last time out.
Costa put on an inspiring performance after coming off the bench versus Tondela last time out and the Brazilian midfielder could be rewarded with his first start of the season.
Pacos de Ferreira will once again take to the pitch services of Portuguese defender Joao Vigario, who has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury back in August.
With four goal involvements so far, Benfica loanee Santos has been pivotal for the visitors this term and the Portuguese midfielder will be one to look out for in this one.
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Victor; China, Leo, Junior, Winck; Rossi, Xadas, Beltrame, Alipour, Vidigal, Costa
Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Vekic; Ramos, Silva, Bastos, Lima; Pires, Ibrahim, Djalo, Delgado; Ze Uilton, Pedro
We say: Maritimo 1-1 Pacos de Ferreira
Maritimo have endured a horrid start to the season and will need to turn around their fortunes sooner rather than later to avoid dropping into the second tier. Pacos de Ferreira have also struggled to get going and head into this game in similar form. With that said, we anticipate both sides will take a cautious approach to the game and settle for a share of the spoils.
Joshua Ojele
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 Pacos de Ferreira win with a probability of 36.82%. A win for Maritimo had a probability of 34.36% and a draw had a probability of 28.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Pacos de Ferreira win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.64%) and 0-2 (6.98%). The likeliest Maritimo win was 1-0 (11.67%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.35%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 6.4% likelihood.
