Portimonense will be looking to pull clear of the relegation zone when they play host to Vitoria de Guimaraes in round 22 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
Os Vimaranenses have failed to win each of their last three visits to the Estadio Municipal de Portimao since July 2020 and will head into the weekend looking to end this poor run.
Match preview
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Portimonense suffered a fresh blow in their quest to beat the drop as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Estrela Amadora when the sides squared off at the Estadio Jose Gomes last Friday.
The Alvinegros were the architects of their own downfall as own goals from Carlinhos and Kosuke Nakamura either side of Leo Jaba's 13th-minute strike saw Estrela pick up a comfortable victory.
Portimonense have now failed to win eight of their last 10 league matches since the start of December — claiming one draw and losing seven — a run which has seen them fall into the relegation dogfight.
With 21 points from 21 matches, Paulo Sergio's men are currently 15th in the Primeira Liga table, one point above the relegation playoff spot and level on points with Estrela, Rio Ave and Estoril Praia.
Portimonense's underwhelming campaign has been owing to their defensive vulnerability as they have conceded the second-most number of goals in the league (44) while keeping just two clean sheets in their 21 games so far.
Vitoria de Guimaraes, on the other hand, were left with a bitter taste of "what could have been" last Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Benfica at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.
With nothing to separate the sides at half time, Andre Silva netted in the 61st minute to put Guimaraes 2-1 up heading into the final stages of the game, but Arthur Cabral restored parity for As Aguias in the 90th minute to force a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Alvaro Pacheco's men booked their spot in the semi-finals of the Taca de Portugal on February 8, when they beat Gil Vicente 3-1 courtesy of first-half goals from Tiago Silva, Jota Silva and Andre Silva.
Guimaraes head into the weekend unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 matches across all competitions — claiming nine wins and three draws — with a 1-0 loss at Gil Vicente on January 28 being the exception.
This fine run of results has put Os Vimaranenses on course for a place in Europe as they currently sit fifth in the league standings, level on points with fourth-placed Braga in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
While Guimaraes will be looking to build on their draw against Benfica and potentially leapfrog Braga this weekend, they journey to the Estadio Municipal de Portimao, where they have failed to win their last three visits, losing twice and claiming one draw since a 1-0 victory in July 2020.
Team News
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Portimonense will take to the pitch without the services of January signing Tamble Monteiro, who continues his spell on the sidelines through a slight injury.
Goncalo Costa and Lucas Ventura were forced off injured inside the opening half-hour against Estrela last time out and are major doubts for Sergio's men.
As for Vitoria de Guimaraes, Croatian defender Toni Borevkovic is set to serve the first of his three-game suspension after picking up a straight red card against Benfica last weekend.
In his absence, 21-year-old Miguel Maga should come into the fold, forming the back three with Jorge Fernandes and Tomas Ribeiro, while Tiago Silva and Tomas Handel should retain their roles in the centre of the park.
With his strike against Benfica, Andre Silva has now scored in all but one of Os Vimaranenses' last six matches and we expect the former Arouca striker to spearhead their attack once again, alongside Jota Silva and 24-year-old Nuno Santos.
On the injury front, Vitoria de Guimaraes remain without Telmo Arcanjo and Venezuelan defender Mikel Villanueva, who both continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines.
Portimonense possible starting lineup:
Nakamura; Formiga, Pedrao, Alemao, Relvas, Costa; Dener, Ventura, Carlinhos; Varela, Pereira
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Marcelo; Maga, Fernandes, Ribeiro; Gaspar, Handel, T Silva, Mangas; Santos, A Silva, J Silva
We say: Portimonense 1-2 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Portimonense are in for a tough 90 minutes against a well-drilled Vitoria de Guimaraes side who are pushing for a place in Europe. Pacheco's men have lost just one of their last 13 matches since November and we see them coming away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
