Tondela will be seeking to make history and go through to a first-ever Taca de Portugal final when they visit Mafra in the second leg of their semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Following a 3-0 defeat in March's first leg, Mafra head into the game with nothing to lose and we expect them to come out all guns blazing as they attempt a historic comeback.
Match preview
© Reuters
Mafra continue to struggle for form in the Segunda Liga as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Farense last Saturday in a cagey affair at the Estadio de Sao Luis.
Twenty-year-old midfielder Madi Queta broke the deadlock in the 14th minute before the Leoes de Faro held firm to defend their slender lead and come away with all three points.
Ricardo Sousa's men have now lost four of their last six games in the Segunda Liga where they are currently 10th in the standings, claiming wins over Nacional and Benfica B in that time.
While they have underperformed in the second tier this season, Mafra turn their attention to the Taca de Portugal where they have enjoyed a historic campaign, coming all the way to the semi-finals for the first time in their 57-year history.
However, the semi-finals could be the climax for the Mafra-based outfit, as they were brushed aside by Tondela in the first of their two-legged semi-final fixture on March 3.
5000 fans at the Estadio Joao Cardoso watched on as Tiago Dantas, Manu and Brazilian full-back Neto Borges scored to hand Tondela an emphatic victory.
Mafra, who have nothing to lose on Wednesday, will now hope for a miracle as they need at least three goals to keep their hopes alive, having scored just two or more in one of their last 18 games in all competitions.
© Reuters
The visitors, meanwhile, failed to move away from the relegation zone in the Primeira Liga as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Moreirense last Saturday.
Rafael Martins opened the scoring in the 40th minute to put Os verdes e brancos ahead shortly before former Everton man Kevin Mirallas found the back of the net to make sure of the result.
CDT Auriverdes, who have now failed to win five of their last six league games, now turn their attention to the cup where they will also be seeking to make history on Wednesday.
Tondela, who kicked off their cup run with a 2-1 victory over Camacha on October 16 have enjoyed a stellar run to the semi-finals and already have one foot in a first-ever final after March's victory over Mafra.
Nuno Campos will look to be the man to deliver that piece of silverware as he prepares for a potentially thrilling final showdown between either Porto or Sporting.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
A lack of firepower up top has been a major concern for the Segunda Liga side in recent weeks, but we expect to see Francis Cann, Stevy Okitokandjo and Rodrigo Martins leading the attack on Wednesday.
While the trio have scored a combined seven league goals this season, they should be supported from midfield by 23-year-old Pedro Lucas, who has five goals to his name so far.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Sousa should field his preferred three-man backline with Joao Goulart, Pedro Barcelos and Pedro Pacheco shielding Miguel Santos in goal.
As for Tondela, Portuguese defender Jota Goncalves continues his long road to full fitness after coming off with a severe injury last September.
He is joined on the CDT Auriverdes injury table by Atalanta loanee Simone Muratore, who has been sidelined since last October through injury.
Mafra possible starting lineup:
Santos; Goulart, Barcelos, Pacheco; Lucas, Silva, Marques, Domingos; Cann, Okitokandjo, Martins
Tondela possible starting lineup:
Trigueira; Manu, Alves, Sagnam; Borges, Augusto, Undabarrena, Bebeto; Barbosa, Agra, Dadashov
We say: Mafra 0-2 Tondela
On the back of March's first-leg defeat, Mafra have an uphill struggle of overturning a three-goal deficit if they hope to make it to the final hurdle. The visitors, meanwhile, know full well they hold the upper hand in this tie and we predict they will pick up where they dropped off and come away with yet another victory.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
