Seeking to snap their four-game losing streak across all competitions, Pacos de Ferreira play host to Gil Vicente at the Estadio Capital do Movel Stadium on Friday.
The visitors, meanwhile, head into the game unbeaten in each of their last four Primeira Liga outings and will be aiming to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Match preview
© Reuters
Pacos de Ferreira have fallen off the pace since securing an impressive fifth-placed finish in the Primeira Liga last term as they now find themselves 13th on the log and risk dropping into the relegation places as they sit just three points above rock-bottom Belenenses.
A major cause for this decline has been their struggles on home turf this season as they are ranked the third-worst team at home with just one win and six points from seven games.
Jorge Simao's side head into Friday's game fresh off the back of yet another home defeat as Vitoria de Guimaraes fought back from one goal down to secure a late win last Saturday.
In that encounter, Brazilian forward Denilson struck shortly after the half-hour mark to hand the hosts the lead heading into the interval before Oscar Estupinan and Bruno Duarte scored in the final 20 minutes to turn the game on its head.
Pacos de Ferreira have now lost each of their most recent four games, while they have failed to pick up a win in their last seven, stretching back to a 3-0 victory over Aguias Moradal in the Taca de Portugal back in October.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Gil Vicente returned to winning ways in emphatic style as they steamrolled struggling Famalicao 4-0 at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.
Kanya Fujimoto, Fran Navarro and Murilo netted in the opening 40 minutes to put the Gilistas in a commanding lead heading into the break before Navarro capped off a brilliant team performance with his second of the game in the 76th minute.
Ricardo Soares's men are now unbeaten in the league since ending their run of seven games without a win, picking up two wins and two draws, while scoring nine goals and conceding four.
This upturn in form has seen Gil Vicente rise to eighth place in the Primeira Liga table, four points behind the Conference League qualification spot, after claiming 17 points from eight games.
Pacos de Ferreira follow this game with a trip to the Estadio Joao Cardoso to take on Tondela, while Gil Vicente face the stern test of going up against reigning champions Sporting Lisbon.
- D
- D
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Pacos de Ferreira will take to the pitch without the services of Joao Vigario as he continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee problem back in August.
Helder Ferreira is also a doubt for the hosts after the Portuguese forward hobbled off injured six minutes after the hour mark in the defeat against Vitoria de Guimaraes last time out.
Denilson was handed his first start in six games last time out and the Brazilian forward staked his claim for a second consecutive start as he capped off an impressive performance with a goal.
Gil Vicente, on the other hand, remain without the services of Brazilian midfielder Joao Afonso, who continues his long journey to full fitness after sustaining a severe injury back in April.
Following his side's dominant performance against Famalicao last time out, Soares could make little or no change to his starting XI on Friday, meaning we could see Fran Navarro spearhead the attack once again.
With his brace in the aforementioned game, the Spanish forward now has nine goals in 12 appearances this season and he will definitely be one to place an eye on in this game.
Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Vekic; Antunes, Maracas, Ramos, Fonseca; Pires, Ibrahim, Santos; Delgado, Ze Uilton, Denilson
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Frelih; Hackman, Silva, Fernandes, Talocha; Aburjania, Pedrinho, Fujimoto; Murilo, Navarro, Lino
We say: Pacos de Ferreira 1-2 Gil Vicente
Gil Vicente will head into the game in sky-high confidence following their impressive win over Famalicao last time out. They appear to have found their rhythm and we are tipping them to come away with all three points against an out-of-sorts Pacos de Ferreira side.
Top tip
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 Gil Vicente win with a probability of 49.64%. A draw had a probability of 26.5% and a win for Pacos de Ferreira had a probability of 23.87%.
The most likely scoreline for a Gil Vicente win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.41%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.81%) and 1-2 (9.09%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.42%), while for a Pacos de Ferreira win it was 1-0 (8.49%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 13.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Gil Vicente in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Gil Vicente.
