Arouca will be hoping to get their 2023-24 Primeira Liga campaign off to a winning start when they take on Estoril Praia at Estadio Municipal de Arouca in a matchday one encounter on Sunday evening.
There is history between these teams as they earned promotion together in the 2020-21 season, and this marks the third consecutive campaign that both these teams will be competing in the top flight of Portuguese League football.
Match preview
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During the 2020-21 Liga Portugal 2 season, Arouca finished five points behind this opponent, but since then, they have adapted to life back in the top flight much better than the opposition, underlined by their performance last term.
After barely avoiding relegation in their first season back, Arouca turned it around incredibly last season to claim a fifth-place finish, and in doing so, they also secured a Europa Conference League qualifier spot.
Over the course of last season, Arouca recorded 15 wins, nine draws, and 10 losses in their 34 league matches, ending with a tally of 54 points which was an improvement of 21 points on their previous season's total.
Daniel Ramos's side have looked very good in the pre-season, unbeaten in their four club friendlies before securing a 2-0 Taca da Liga win over Rio Ave, and perhaps more impressively, a 2-1 win over Brann in their Conference League qualifier first leg encounter in midweek.
The hosts won their last encounter against Estoril 2-0 at this venue last season, with Oday Dabbagh netting a brace, and they come into this match as the favourites to claim the points on the opening weekend.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the home team, Estoril's performance last season went in the wrong direction, dropping from ninth place the previous season to 14th last term and ending just nine points above the relegation zone.
Their poor performance last season led to the departure of Nelson Verissimo, with Ricardo Soares stepping into the hot seat for a short spell, but it will now be the task of Alvaro Pacheco to navigate them through what will likely be a tricky campaign.
Last season, Estoril posted 35 points in their 34 matches with a record of 10 wins, four draws, and 20 losses, but their biggest concern would have been their defensive frailty as they conceded the most goals of any team that survived the drop.
The visitors were especially poor on the road last season, as they failed to win any of their last 14 away matches in all competitions, which included a run of nine consecutive league defeats after returning from the World Cup break.
Nevertheless, they seem to have put that behind them as they had a very promising preseason, which included consecutive Taca da Liga wins over Pacos Ferreira and Belenenses leading up to this match.
Team News
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Rafa Mujica scored in both cup matches coming into this fixture, and he will likely lead the charge alongside Cristo Gonzalez, who scored the winner against Brann in midweek.
New arrival Eboue Kouassi, who was brought in on a free transfer from Genk, also looked good in the cup games and should start in defensive midfield after getting on the scoresheet against Rio Ave.
Pacheco has made a few notable signings during the summer, bringing in the likes of Rafik Guitane and Erick Cabaco from Stade Reims and Getafe, respectively.
Former Famalicao winger Heriberto Tavares caught the eye in the pre-season and is tipped to start in midfield alongside Ivan Pavlic and Cassiano.
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Fernandes, Galovic, Correia; Eboue, Simao, Jason, Sylla; Mujica, Gonzalez
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Freitas, Vital, Alvaro, Araujo; Dicke, Marques, Cassiano, Pavlic, Tavares; Martins
We say: Arouca 2-1 Estoril Praia
Arouca's solid pre-season form, capped off with their midweek win against Brann, sees them come into this match as the fancied side to claim the points. They have scored two or more goals in five of their last six home games in all competitions, and we expect they will get at least another couple in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
