Famalicao take on Arouca at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Friday night, kicking off the latest round of Primeira Liga fixtures.
At this early juncture in the season, the hosts are seventh in the league table, while the visitors are down in 11th place.
Match preview
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Famalicao finished eighth in the Primeira Liga last season, so they are roughly where they would have been expected to be in the league table after five games, having picked up a total of eight points.
Vila Nova kicked off the season in style, picking up a shock 2-1 victory away at Braga, with Oscar Aranda striking in the 95th minute to steal the three points at the death.
Since then, however, Joao Pedro Sousa's side have gone on to win just one of their last four games, defeating Farense 1-0 at home at the beginning of September, but there are some positives to take out of their recent performances.
Famalicao have kept two clean sheets in their last four matches, conceding just twice, and it is clear they are solid defensively, considering they have shipped the fewest number of goals of any side in the division.
Fama have made a solid start to the season, but they are now set to come up against a side they have a very poor recent record against, having lost four and drawn one of their last five matches against their upcoming opponents.
Arouca have often gotten the better of Vila Nova in recent times, but they have not made the best of starts to the season, having failed to pick up three points since a 4-3 victory against Estoril on the opening day of the campaign.
Although the Arouquenses have been unable to get another win on the board, they have been difficult to beat, at least up until their last match, drawing three of their last four matches.
However, Daniel Ramos's side fell to their first league defeat of the season last Sunday, losing 1-0 at home against Casa Pia, with Felippe bagging a 92nd-minute winner for the visitors.
Having also lost to Brann over two legs in the playoff round of Europa Conference League qualification, Arouca are now five games without a win in all competitions, and they are very much in need of a victory to kick-start their season this weekend.
Team News
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Famalicao have no fresh injury concerns to deal with, but forward Theo Fonseca remains sidelined, having not been involved in a single squad so far this season due to injury.
Jhonder Cadiz is Fama's danger man in attack, having scored two goals in his last two games, and the Venezuelan is likely to lead the line, with Finnish youngster Otso Liimatta supporting from attacking midfield.
Arouca also have a couple of long-term absentees, with Benji Michel and Vitinho still on the treatment table, having been injured since the 2022-23 campaign.
Cristo is the player most likely to pose an attacking threat for the visitors, having already scored three Primeira Liga goals this season, and the 25-year-old is set to get the nod in attack.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Luiz Junior; Aguirregabiria, Riccieli, Otavio, Moura; Topic, Youssouf, Aranda, Liimatta, Puma; Cadiz
Arouca possible starting lineup:
De Arruabarrena; Galovic, Fernandes, Montero; Trezza, Sylla, Simao, Weverson; Mujica, Cristo, Jason
We say: Famalicao 1-1 Arouca
Famalicao have kept things tight at the back so far this season, with Sousa's side yet to concede more than one goal in a game, so we do not expect the game to be a high-scoring affair.
Arouca have not been in the best of form, failing to win in their last five games, but they have a very good recent record against Fama, so we think the spoils will be shared on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
