Nacional and Braga get the action underway in round six of the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio da Madeira on Friday.
Having suffered their first league defeat of the season last time out, Os Arcebispos will head into the weekend looking to bounce back and pick up a morale-boosting result ahead of their Europa League opener against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Match preview
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Nacional were sent crashing back down to earth in the new Primeira Liga campaign as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Estoril Praia when the two teams squared off at the Antonio Coimbra da Mota last Sunday.
Goalkeeper Lucas Franca strayed way off his line to clear the danger in the 19th minute but the loose ball fell into the path of Joao Carvalho, whose pinpoint effort from 35 yards out hit the target to inspire Estoril to all three points.
This followed a 2-0 victory over Farense on September 1, when Daniel Penha and 20-year-old Isaac scored either side of the half-time break to hand the Alvinegros their first win of the season.
Having secured promotion from the Segunda Liga last term, Tiago Margarido's men have struggled to impose themselves in the top flight and this has been owing to their defensive frailty as they have conceded nine goals already — only rock-bottom Farense (12) have shipped more.
Next up for Nacional is the daunting challenge of going up against an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in their last 15 encounters, losing 12 and claiming three draws since a 3-0 victory in October 2013.
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Braga, on the other hand, were condemned to their first defeat of the season last Sunday when they were beaten 2-0 by Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Braga Municipal.
In a game where defender Bright Arrey-Mbi received his marching orders, Joao Mendes and Tomas Ribeiro scored in a seven-minute spell in the second half to hand Guimaraes a comfortable victory.
Braga had gone nine back-to-back games without defeat to start the campaign — picking up six wins and three draws — a run which has seen them secure a spot in the new-look Europa League group phase after a thrilling qualifying journey.
Carlos Carvalhal's men brushed aside Maccabi Petach Tikva and Servette to reach the playoff round, where they had to show their mettle in a nervy 4-3 aggregate victory over Austrian outfit Rapid Wien back in August.
With last weekend's loss against Guimaraes, Braga have now failed to taste victory in their most recent three outings and Carvalhal will hope that his side can find their feet this weekend ahead of their Europa League opener against Maccabi Tel Aviv on September 26.
Os Arcebispos will draw inspiration from their solid run of results away from home, where they are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 competitive matches, picking up eight wins and three draws since mid-February.
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Team News
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Nacional will head into Friday's showdown without the 24-year-old defender Wilson Ulisses, who is currently suspended after receiving his marching orders against Estoril Praia.
On the injury front, Margarido will be unable to call upon several players down the spine of the team as Djibril Soumare, Joao Aurelio and Douglas Sequeira all continue their spells on the sidelines.
Brazilian defender Leo Santos will be assessed after picking up a slight injury in the game against Estoril last time out and the 25-year-old is also a doubt for this weekend's hosts.
As for Braga, Arrey-Mbi picked up a straight red card against Vitoria de Guimaraes last time out and the former Bayern Munich defender will serve the first of his three-game suspension this weekend.
In his absence, Watford loanee Paulo Oliveira should come into the fold, forming the back four with Victor Gomez, Sikou Niakate and Adrian Marin, while Matheus Lima should start between the sticks once again.
Os Arcebispos also have their fair share of fitness concerns as Brazilian defender Robson Bambu and veteran midfielder Joao Moutinho have been ruled out through thigh and muscle injuries respectively.
Nacional possible starting lineup:
Franca; Garcia, Santos, Vitor, Gomes; Esteves, Dias, Penha; Appiah, Reis, Macedo
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Gomez, Niakate, Oliveira, Marin; Carvalho, Horta; Zalazar, Horta, Martinez; El Ouazzani
We say: Nacional 0-2 Braga
Braga will be licking their lips as they go up against a Nacional side against whom they are unbeaten in their last 15 encounters since October 2013. Margarido's men have struggled to find their feet in the big leagues, and given the gulf in quality and depth between the two teams, we fancy Os Arcebispos to come away with all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
