Looking to move into the Conference League qualification places, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Boavista at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Wednesday.
The visitors, on the other hand, will head into the game aiming to get one over the hosts after suffering defeats in both home and away fixtures last season.
Match preview
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After a shaky start to the season, where they managed just one win from their opening seven league games, Vitoria de Guimaraes will be delighted by how far they have come in the first half of the season.
Pepa's men are currently seventh in the Primeira Liga standings after claiming 22 points from 15 games and could move into the Conference League qualification places as they sit three points behind fifth-place Estoril Praia.
Their impressive turnaround has been down to the solid job done at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have shipped 16 goals so far — only five other teams conceding fewer.
However, Vitoria de Guimaraes head into Wednesday's game fresh off the back of seeing their two-game winning run come to an end courtesy of a slender 1-0 loss away to Santa Clara.
Os Vimaranenses will feel somewhat confident of bouncing back to winning ways this Wednesday as they return home, where they are unbeaten in four games running and have lost just once in their last seven outings.
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Boavista, on the other hand, made it two wins from two for just the second time this season when they saw off Moreirense 1-0 on December 19.
In a cagey contest at the Estadio do Bessa XXI, French defender Yanis Hamache came up trumps for the hosts as he scored the only goal of the game shortly after the half-hour mark.
Prior to that, Petit's side were on a run of 11 games without a win in the Primeira Liga, claiming six draws and losing five since a 2-0 Santa Clara when the sides met back in August.
Three days before the Moreirense victory, Boavista claimed an emphatic 5-1 win over Braga in the Taca da Liga which saw them maintain their perfect record in Group C of the cup competition.
With 15 points from 15 games, As Panteras, who finished 12th in the league last season, are presently lying in ninth place on the log with a healthy four-point cushion on Famalicao in the relegation playoff spot.
While Boavista will be looking to keep their new-found form going, they face the uphill task of facing Vitoria de Guimaraes away from home, where they have failed to win in their last seven visits, managing two draws and losing five.
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Team News
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Vitoria de Guimaraes will take to the pitch without the services of veteran midfielder Andre after the 32-year-old picked up an injury in November's game against Moreirense.
With four goal involvements in his last four games, English forward Marcus Edwards has been on song for Wednesday's hosts and we expect the 23-year-old to handle business at the attacking end of the pitch once again.
Meanwhile, Boavista remain without 22-year-old midfielder Miguel Reisinho, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe knee injury back in August.
Twenty-two-year-old midfielder Ilija Vukotic is also out of contention for the visitors as the Benfica loanee is currently in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.
Brazilian youngster Nathan Santos will serve a one-game suspension after receiving his marching orders late in the game against Moreirense last time out.
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Soares, Fernandes, Amaro, Ferreira; Almeida, Handel, Janvier; Edwards, Duarte, Rochinha
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Beiranvand; Cannon, Garcia, Abascal; Hamache, Makouta, Ntep, Perez; Njie, Musa, Sauer
We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Boavista
While Boavista will be aiming to keep the juggernaut rolling, they face the stern test of taking on Vitoria de Guimaraes away from home, where they are winless in their last seven meetings. Boavista are also unbeaten in their last four home games, and in contrast the visitors have lost their last four away games. We anticipate Vitoria de Guimaraes will come out on top in this one.
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 Vitoria de Guimaraes win with a probability of 66.44%. A draw had a probability of 19.7% and a win for Boavista had a probability of 13.89%.
The most likely scoreline for a Vitoria de Guimaraes win was 2-0 with a probability of 11.7%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (11.18%) and 2-1 (9.79%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.35%), while for a Boavista win it was 0-1 (4.47%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood.
