Two sides who could do well with a win go head to head on Saturday as SC Farense play host to Rio Ave at the Estadio de Sao Luis in round 26 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
While the hosts will be looking to end their run of four back-to-back defeats, the Vilacondenses head into the weekend in search of their first away win in the league this season.
Match preview
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Farense failed to stop the rot and return into the top half of the table last Saturday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Vizela when the sides squared off at the Estadio do FC Vizela.
After holding the lead for most of the game courtesy of Ze Luis's 17th-minute strike, the visitors were left spitting feathers at the full-time whistle as Sava Petrov and Alberto Soro scored in the final 20 minutes to help Vizela turn the tie on its head.
Jose Mota's men have now lost four games on the bounce and have failed to taste victory in any of their last seven matches, picking up just two points from a possible 21 since January's 2-1 victory at Casa Pia.
Breaching opposing defences has not been a worry for Farense, who have scored 33 league goals this season — the second-highest number of goals scored among the sides in the bottom half of the table.
However, their struggles have been owing to their recent defensive vulnerability as the Vilacondenses have failed to keep a clean sheet since January 6 and have conceded 13 goals in their last seven matches.
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With the season entering its business end, Rio Ave failed to steer clear of the danger zone as they played out a goalless draw with Braga when the two sides met at the Estadio dos Arcos last Saturday.
In fairness, Rio Ave finished the game as the happier of the two sides as they turned in a defensive show of class to deny a free-scoring Braga side a fifth consecutive victory across all competitions.
However, Luis Freire's men now gone four back-to-back games without a win, suffering a 2-1 loss at Famalicao on February 16 before playing out three consecutive stalemates in their three subsequent outings.
A run of one win in nine matches since the first week of January has seen the Rio Ave come into the relegation conversation with just nine games to go, putting their two-year stint in the top flight under threat.
With 24 points from 25 matches, Rio Ave are currently 14th in the Primeira Liga table, two points and two places behind Saturday's hosts and just two points above Estoril Praia in the relegation playoff spot.
Team News
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Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Felipe has been sidelined since coming off with a tendon injury in the cup game against Vilaverdense back in October and will play no part in this weekend's game.
Farense will also have to cope without Portuguese forward Rui Costa, who has missed the last eight matches after sustaining an injury versus Portimonense back in January.
As for Rio Ave, 23-year-old Miguel Nobrega was forced off with a first-half injury against Braga last weekend and the Portuguese defender is a major doubt for Saturday's showdown.
In his absence, Patrick William could come into Vilacondenses' starting side, forming the back three with Croatian defender Renato Pantalon and 34-year-old Aderllan Santos.
Portuguese forward Andre Pereira has been sidelined since picking up a muscle problem against Vitoria de Guimaraes on December 23 and is also out of contention for the visitors.
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Pastor, Silva, Rossi, Talys; Caseres, Falcao, Isidoro; Belloumi, Ze Luis, Matias
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Pantalon, Santos, William; Costinha, Oudrhiri, Silva, Joca, Ronaldo; Aziz, Embalo
We say: SC Farense 2-2 Rio Ave
The last four meetings between Farense and Rio Ave has produced a combined 15 goals and we anticipate another end-to-end affair at the Estadio de Sao Luis this weekend. Both sides are evenly matched on paper and we predict that they will cancel out each other's efforts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
