Round four of the Portuguese Primeira Liga comes to an end on Monday when Vizela and Gil Vicente go head to head at the Estadio do FC Vizela.

The Vizelenses head into the game seeking to get one over the visitors, having failed to win any of the last six meetings between the sides since October 2016.

Match preview

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Vizela failed to return to winning ways in the Primeira Liga as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Chaves at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira last Saturday.

In a game where both sides finished with 10 men, Hector Hernandez opened the scoring in the eighth minute to put the hosts ahead but 25-year-old Kevin Zohi struck five minutes before half time to force a share of the spoils.

Prior to that, Alvaro Pacheco's men claimed a 1-0 victory away to Rio Ave in their league curtain-raiser on August 6 before returning home where they were beaten 1-0 by league champion Porto one week later

Vizela have now lost three competitive home games across all competitions, while they have managed just one win from their last nine games in front of their home fans since the start of February, losing five and claiming three draws in that time.

While the Vizelenses will look to give their fans something to cheer about on Monday, next up is an opposing side who are unbeaten in each of the last six meetings between the teams, claiming four wins and two draws since a 1-0 loss in October 2016.

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Ivo Vieira's men were beaten 2-1 by AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa Conference League playoff clash last Thursday to complete a humbling 6-1 aggregate defeat against the Dutch side.

Gil Vicente now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga where they were held to an uneventful goalless draw by Famalicao in their most recent outing on August 22.

The Gilistas, who have picked up four points from their opening three league games, head into Monday winless in their last four games across all competitions, claiming one draw and losing three since a 4-0 win over Riga FC in the Europa Conference League qualifiers on August 11.

While Gil Vicente will be looking to end this dry spell, they have struggled to grind out results on the road, where they are currently on a run of two draws and five defeats from their last seven games since the start of April.

Team News

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Vizela will have to cope with the absence of Colombian forward Andres Sarmiento, who picked up a straight red in the game against Chaves last time out.

On the injury front, the Vizelenses will be without the services of 20-year-old forward Friday Etim, who has been out of action since May through a muscle problem.

Brazilian Igor Juliao will also play no part in Monday's game after the 28-year-old midfielder came off injured in the game against Moreirense back in May.

As for Gil Vicente, Vieira will be unable to call upon 27-year-old Brazilian Murilo de Souza, who has been sidelined since picking up an ACL injury in January's game against Boavista.

He is joined on the Gilistas injury table by newly-signed Brazilian forward Lucas Barros, who is yet to make his debut after suffering an injury back in May.

Former Zenit St. Petersburg goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk is also out of contention for the visitors as he continues his long road to full fitness after sustaining a knee injury last November.

Vizela possible starting lineup:
Buntic; Silva, Wilson, Anderson, Kiki; Samu, Guzzo, Rosa; Moreira, Zohi, Bondoso

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Veiga, Ferrugem, Fernandes, Marin; Carvalho, Boselli, Aburjania; Fujimoto, Medina, Navarro

We say: Vizela 1-2 Gil Vicente

Gil Vicente will head into the game seeking to restore some pride following their Europa Conference League qualifying heartbreak. The Gilistas have enjoyed the better of this fixture and we predict that they will extend their dominance over the hosts and claim a slender victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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