The second match in the Primeira Liga on Saturday afternoon will be a lower-table battle, with Arouca facing off against Gil Vicente at Estadio Municipal de Arouca.
The hosts are currently second bottom in the league standings, with 10 points after the first 13 matches of the season, while the visitors are 14th and just two points above their opponents.
Match preview
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Fair to say, the last few years have been a wave of emotions for Arouca, who were battling down in Liga Portugal 2 just three seasons ago and climbed their way up the ranks to finish fifth last season.
However, they have taken a major step backward this season, managing a record of just two wins, four draws and seven losses to date, leaving them firmly in the midst of the relegation scrap.
The real fall-off in their performances came between September and November, when they went on a run of eight matches without a win, including seven consecutive losses up to their return from the international break.
Since the start of December, though, Arouquenses have shown signs of life again as they managed to avoid defeat in their last two matches, pulling off an unexpected 4-0 win over Boavista before drawing 2-2 with Rio Ave last Sunday.
Those two results on their own account for half of Arouca's ten-point tally this season, and they will be hoping for another return in this one, having not lost to this opponent in their last six meetings (W4 D2 L0).
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Gil Vicente, on the other hand, managed to crack a top-five finish in 2021-22 and followed up with a 13th-placed finish last season, and based on their performances in the current campaign, it looks like they are likely to battle in the bottom half again this term.
The Roosters have managed three wins and three draws and conceded seven losses in their 13 matches to date, which leaves them just two points above Chaves in the relegation playoff spot as things stand.
Vitor Campelos's side held Moreirense to a 1-1 draw in their last match, which extended their recent winless run to six consecutive matches, including three draws and three wins, with their last victory coming back in October when they overcame Casa Pia at home.
However, all 12 of Gil Vicente's points this season have been earned at Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, as the visitors have lost all six away games this term and have not secured a single point on their travels since March 12 this year.
Team News
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Daniel Sousa will be able to welcome back Bogdan Milovanov for this match after he was forced to sit out last week's match against Rio Ave for the red card he received a week earlier.
Vitinho and goalkeeper Joao Valido are still on the treatment table with an ACL and facial injury, respectively, which should mean that Ignacio de Arruabarrena will continue between the sticks for the hosts.
Gil Vicente have two injury absentees heading into this match in the form of goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk and forward Depu, though both players have been out of action for a while now.
That could mean we will see Sousa opt for an unchanged starting 11 here, with Ali Alipour leading the line, while Kanya Fujimoto will occupy the number 10 role between Tidjany Toure and Felix Correia on the flanks.
Arouca possible starting lineup:
de Arruabarrena; Milovanov, Galovic, Montero, Esgaio; Jason, Simao, Eboue, Sylla; Mujica, Gonzalez
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Carlos, Pereira, Fernandes, Buta; Tiba, Neto, Toure, Fujimoto, Correia; Alipour
We say: Arouca 2-1 Gil Vicente
While both sides have been far from impressive this season, it is difficult to make much of a case for the visitors, who have not earned a single point on the road this season and have not won an away match since March.
Arouca showed real fighting spirit to come back from two goals down against Rio Ave last week, and we feel they can follow that up with another positive result in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
