Farense SC and Gil Vicente get the ball rolling in round 14 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they go head to head at the Estadio de Sao Luis on Saturday.
The Gilistas have failed to taste victory in any of their last nine games on the road since beating Moreirense in April and will head into the weekend looking to end this dire run.
Match preview
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Farense were left spitting feathers last time out as they were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw by Boavista when the two sides squared off at the Estadio do Bessa last Sunday.
In a game where Claudio Falcao and Ilija Vokotic received their marching orders, Marco Matias struck in the 52nd minute to put the visitors in front but Miguel Reisinho converted his 95th-minute penalty to force a share of the spoils.
Before that, Toze Marreco's men picked up a 2-1 win over Arouca at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca to snap their three-game winless run and reach the fifth round of the Taca de Portugal, six days before edging out Estrela Amadora 1-0 courtesy of a first-half strike from Dario Poveda.
Having secured a 10th-placed finish last season, Farense have picked up just two wins from their 13 Primeira Liga matches so far while losing eight and claiming three draws to collect nine points and sit bottom but one in the table, just one point above last-places.
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Gil Vicente, on the other hand, picked up three huge points in their surge from the bottom end of the Primeira Liga standings as they edged out Nacional 2-1 at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos last Saturday.
Ulisses found the back of the net in the 50th minute to cancel out Santo Garcia's first-half opener and pull Nacional back level but Ruben Fernandes struck in the seventh minute of stoppage time to snatch all three points for the hosts.
This was a much-needed respite for Bruno Pinheiro's men, who had suffered four back-to-back league defeats in their previous four outings and had managed just one win from 10 league games preceding the victory over Nacional.
With a third of the season gone, the Gilistas have picked up just three wins from their 13 Primeira Liga matches so far while losing six and claiming four draws to collect 13 points and sit 12th in the table, but could move into ninth-place with all three points this weekend.
While Gil Vicente will be looking to pick up back-to-back league wins for the first time since January and move into the top half of the table, results on the road offer little optimism as they have failed to win any of their last nine away games, losing six and claiming three draws since a 1-0 victory at Moreirense on April 20.
Team News
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Farense will have to cope without the services of Brazilian defender Falcao, who is currently suspended after picking up a red card against Boavista last weekend.
In his absence, 30-year-old Artur Jorge should return to the fold, teaming up with Lucas Africo and Spanish defender Marco Moreno in the back three.
On the injury front, Marreco will be unable to name the Portuguese duo of forward Tomane and 25-year-old midfielder Filipe Soares, who continue their spells on the sidelines.
Gil Vicente remain without the services of South African midfielder Sphephelo Sithole, who continues his long road to full fitness after sustaining a severe injury back in September.
With his opener against Nacional, Garcia now has four goal contributions in six league starts and we expect the Spanish midfielder to retain his role in the XI this weekend.
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Africo, Jorge, Moreno; Pastor, Neto, Menino, Victor; Matias, Poveda, Balde
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Ze Carlos, Sa, Fernandes, Cruz; Garcia, Caseres, Fujimoto; Toure, Aguirre, Correia
We say: SC Farense 1-1 Gil Vicente
Buoyed by their late victory over Nacional, Gil Vicente will head into the weekend with renewed confidence as they look to move into the top half of the standings.
However, the Gilistas' form on the road is currently nothing to write home about and we predict Farense will hold out for a share of the spoils in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
