The action continues in round 21 of the Primeira Liga as Moreirense and Chaves square off at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on Saturday.
While Os verdes e brancos set out in search of a second consecutive home victory, the visitors will head into the weekend looking to end their eight-game winless run.
Match preview
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Moreirense suffered a fresh blow in their quest for European football as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Braga at the Estadio Braga Municiapal last Sunday.
The visitors were guilty of a lack of sting at the attacking end of the pitch, where they failed to pose any serious threats as Abel Ruiz's eighth-minute strike was enough to hand Os Arcebispos all three points.
This was a second consecutive defeat on the road for Moreirense, who were on the receiving end of a 5-0 demolition against Porto when the sides squared off at the Estadio do Dragao on January 20.
With results hard to come by on their travels in recent weeks, Rui Borges's men will be happy to return home, where they are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches, claiming four wins and two draws since September.
Moreirense have now lost six of their 20 Primeira Liga matches so far while picking up nine wins and five draws to collect 32 points and sit sixth in the league table, eight points behind fourth-placed Braga in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
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Chaves, on the other hand, were involved in a share of the spoils for a third consecutive game as they fought back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Farnese last Sunday.
Despite playing with 10 men for most of the game as Ygor Nogueira picked up a straight red in the 16th minute, Farense failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage as Hector Hernandez converted his 53rd-minute penalty to cancel out Bruno Duarte's first-half opener.
Joao Teixeira's men have now gone eight games consecutive games without a win, losing four and picking up four draws since a 2-1 victory over Vizela at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira on December 1.
This poor run of results has seen Chaves' two-year stint in the top flight come under threat as they currently occupy 17th place in the Primeira Liga standings, just one point above rock-bottom Vizela and four away from safety.
The Flavienses' underwhelming campaign has been owing to struggles at the back, where they have kept just two clean sheets and conceded the highest number of goals so far (46) — six more than their total tally last season when they secured an impressive seventh-placed finish.
Team News
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Moreirense remain without the services of 22-year-old forward Hernani Ifande, who has been sidelined since May 2023 through a severe injury.
Senegalese defender Alhassane Sylla continues his lengthy spell on the Os verdes e brancos' injury table and will also play no part in this weekend's matchup.
January signing Andre Castro made his debut against his former side Braga last time out and the veteran midfielder could be handed his first starting appearance this weekend.
Nogueira received an early bath against Farense last weekend and the Brazilian defender is out of contention for Chaves as he serves the first of his three-game suspension.
In his absence, 22-year-old Bruno Rodrigues should come into the fray, forming the back three with Vasco Fernandes and Nigerian defender Junior Pius.
On the injury front, Chaves will take to the pitch without 24-year-old defender Habbib Sylla, who has been sidelined since picking up a muscle problem back in October.
Pedro Pinho has missed the Flavienses' last four matches after coming off injured against Famalicao on January 7 and the Portuguese midfielder will play no part in Saturday's game.
Moreirense possible starting lineup:
Kewin; Pinto, Maracas, Marcelo, Frimpong; Ofori, Franco; Camacho, Alanzinho, Kodisang; Asue
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Souza; Rodrigues, Fernandes, Pius; Carraca, Guimaraes, Guzzo, Cruz; Ribeiro, Hernandez, Nwakali
We say: Moreirense 2-1 Chaves
Moreirense will be backing themselves to find their feet this weekend as they take on an out-of-sorts Chaves side who are currently languishing in the danger zone. We predict that Borges' side will continue their impressive results on home turf and claim maximum points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
