Two sides in need of a pick-me-up get round 32 of the Primeira Liga underway when Famalicao play host to Estoril Praia at the Municipal Stadium Famalicao on Friday.
The Vila Nova head into the game on a seven-game winless run, while the visitors have failed to taste victory in each of their most recent five outings.
Match preview
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Famalicao kept their survival hopes alive when they turned in a superb defensive performance to hold out for a goalless draw against a star-studded Benfica side at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica last Saturday.
While Nelson Verissimo's side were in the ascendency for most of the game, their efforts to break the deadlock were constantly repelled by an inspired Luiz Junior, who made a plethora of saves between the sticks to keep the tie level.
While manager Rui Silva will be more than happy with the draw against Benfica, Famalicao have now failed to taste victory in seven games on the bounce, stretching back to February's 2-1 win over Tondela.
The Vila Nova have now won six, drawn 12 and lost 13 of their 31 games so far to collect 30 points and sit 14th in the Primeira Liga table, four points above Moreirense in the relegation playoff spot.
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Elsewhere, Estoril Praia had themselves to blame last Sunday when they threw away a two-goal lead before settling for a 2-2 draw with last-placed Belenenses at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.
Rosier Loreintz and Andre Franco put the Canarinhos two goals up heading into the break, but Safira pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 66th minute before substitute Sandro restored parity with a dramatic 97th-minute equaliser.
Estoril Praia have now failed to win any of their last five outings, claiming two points from a possible 15 since their 2-0 home victory over Portimonense on March 12.
While they will look to end this dry spell and strengthen their chances of a top-half finish, they head into the weekend without a win on the road this year, losing six and picking up two draws since December's 1-0 win at Belenenses.
With 36 points from 31 games, Bruno Pinhero's side are currently ninth in the league standings, level on points with 10th-placed Santa Clara, but could rise to seventh place with all three points on Friday.
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Team News
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Famalicao will take to the pitch without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of 32-year-old defender Ruben Lima and midfielder David Tavares continue their spells on the sidelines.
They are joined on the Vila Nova injury table by Spanish midfielder Ivan Jamie, who has been out of action since January through a knee injury.
Famalicao will also have to make do with the absence of 29-year-old midfielder Joao Carlos Teixeira, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off injured versus Portimonense on April 10.
Meanwhile, French midfielder Loreintz is out of contention for Estoril Praia after the 23-year-old received his marching orders in Sunday's game against Belenenses.
The duo of Franco and Porto loanee Romario Baro will also play no part in Friday's game after both receiving red cards for violent conduct while on the substitutes' bench in the aforementioned game.
On the injury front, Pinheiro will be unable to call up 20-year-old Ruben Providence and Brazilian defender Lucas Africo, who are recuperating from ankle and knee injuries respectively.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Riccieli, Nascimento; Marin, Pepe, Pikel, Fuente; H Tavares, Banza, Rodrigues
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Bruno, Ferraresi, Vital, Joaozinho; Gamboa, Geraldes; Lourenco, Gomes, Mboula; Ruiz
We say: Famalicao 1-1 Estoril Praia
Estoril Praia have struggled to get going away from home, where they are yet to pick up a win this year. With just one defeat in their last eight home games, Famalicao head into Friday as slight favourites to come away with all three points. However, given their similar form and evenly-matched squad, we predict a share of the spoils with both sides doing just enough to come away with a point apiece.
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Famalicao win with a probability of 50.6%. A draw had a probability of 26.1% and a win for Estoril Praia had a probability of 23.34%.
The most likely scoreline for a Famalicao win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.92%) and 2-1 (9.22%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.26%), while for a Estoril Praia win it was 0-1 (8.16%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Famalicao would win this match.
