Sunday's Primeira Liga action will conclude with a top-half battle at Estadio Municipal de Braga, where SC Farense will arrive to face top-four opponents Braga.
The hosts will head into this match with 40 points after the first 21 league games this season, while the visitors are in eighth place with 26 points earned over the same period.
Match preview
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Braga are in need of a positive result here after they were put to the sword by Azerbaijan Premier League outfit Qarabag FK in the first leg of their Europa League knockout rounds playoff in midweek.
The 4-2 defeat on Thursday night was the second hefty defeat that the Arsenalists conceded in the space of a week, following a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of league title contenders Sporting Lisbon last weekend.
However, the one positive during that time for Artur Jorge's side was that they were not punished too badly for their big loss to the Lions, still five points behind Porto in third, who also suffered an unexpected defeat against Arouca the following day.
Having got their slice of luck, a win in this match feels like an absolute necessity for Braga, with Vitoria de Guimaraes putting together a solid run of results lately and now level them with 40 points heading into gameweek 22.
While the hosts are the clear favourites here, according to the bookmakers, they will know that they cannot underestimate Farense, who pulled off an against-the-odds 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in September last year.
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Meanwhile, having only gained promotion to the top flight last season, Farense can be extremely proud of what they have delivered in the first half of the 2023-24 Primeira Liga campaign.
A record of seven wins, five draws and nine losses has set them firmly in the top half of the league table, nine points behind the top six and 10 points clear of Vizela, who are the first side below the dotted line.
However, Jose Mota's side have slipped to eighth place in the league standings owing to a three-match winless run, including a 3-1 loss to Porto and back-to-back 1-1 draws against Chaves and Famalicao.
The Lions of Faro are unbeaten in their last two away games, though, and proved they cannot be ruled out of any contest as they are one of only two sides that have taken points off lead leaders Benfica on the road this season.
Team News
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Ricardo Horta picked up a knock and was taken off the pitch in Braga's 5-0 defeat to Sporting last weekend, and the winger has now been ruled out of action for the next four to six weeks.
Defender Adrian Marin has not featured at all this season due to a knee injury and is still some way from returning to the squad, while Bruma is also on the treatment table with a meniscus tear that is expected to keep him away until April.
Farense have no injury concerns to mention, and Mota could opt to name an unchanged side to the one he sent out in their 1-1 draw against Famalicao last weekend.
Bruno Duarte leads the goalscoring charts for the Lions of Faro this season with eight to his name and is almost certain to lead the line again this weekend with the support of Brazilian attacker Mattheus.
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Gomez, Fonte, Oliveira, Borja; Carvalho, Moutinho; Lopes, Zalazar, Djalo; Ruiz
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Pastor, Silva, Muscat, Talocha; Caseres, Falcao; Balde, Matias, Mattheus; Duarte
We say: Braga 2-1 SC Farense
After a couple of underwhelming performances, this is a must-win situation for Braga to keep in touch with the European qualification places. Farense are certainly no push-over, but we fancy the hosts to pull off a home win here, albeit that it may be a slender one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
