Vitoria de Guimaraes will be looking to snap their three-match winless run and resume their push for European football when they play host to Boavista in round 31 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
Os Axadrezados have failed to win any of their last nine visits to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques since October 2014 and will head into the weekend looking to end this decade-long spell.
Match preview
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Vitoria de Guimaraes were left empty handed once again as they suffered a 3-0 hammering at the hands of title-chasing Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last weekend.
Portuguese forward Pedro Goncalves opened the scoring on the half-hour mark to set the hosts on their way before in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres netted a brace to cap off a superb team display.
Prior to that, Vitoria de Guimaraes were condemned to a semi-final exit from the Taca de Portugal as they fell to a 3-1 second-leg defeat against Porto on April 17, having lost 1-0 in the reverse leg.
Alvaro Pacheco's men have lost just seven of their 30 league games — the fifth-fewest number of defeats so far — in what has been an impressive campaign and are on course to secure a plane in Europe.
With 57 points from 30 matches, Vitoria de Guimaraes are currently fifth in the Primeira Liga standings, five points adrift of fourth-placed Braga in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.
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Boavista, on the other hand, picked up a potentially-vital point in their battle at the bottom end of the table as they came from behind to snatch a late draw against Estrela Amadora last Saturday.
Uruguayan defender Rodrigo Abascal grabbed the headlines at the Estadio do Bessa as he netted a 92nd-minute equaliser to cancel out Rodrigo Pinho's 75th-minute opener and force a share of the spoils.
With last weekend's stalemate, Boavista have now gone five consecutive games without a win, picking up just two points from a possible 15 since scraping a 1-0 victory over Moreirense on March 9.
Os Axadrezados' poor late-season form has put their nine-year stint in the top flight under threat as they have dropped to 14th place in the Primeira Liga table, level on 30 points with Estoril Praia and two points above the relegation zone.
While Boavista will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they will have to show their mettle at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, where they have failed to win any of their last nine visits, losing six and picking up three draws since October 2014.
Team News
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Vitoria de Guimaraes' midfielder Joao Mendes has missed the last two matches since picking up an ankle injury against Farense on April 13 and the 29-year-old will play no part in Saturday's game.
He is joined on Os Vimaranenses' injury table by Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who has been ruled out since suffering a cruciate ligament tear in May 2023.
Nelson Oliveira is also out of contention for this weekend's game due to a one-game suspension after crossing the yellow-card threshold with his booking against Sporting Lisbon last time out.
Meanwhile, Boavista will take to the pitch without the services of 24-year-old Robert Bozenik, who was forced off injured against Estrela last Saturday.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Morales Pires while defender Augusto Dabo also continues his long lengthy spell on the sidelines having suffered a severe injury in July 2023.
Sebastian Perez missed last Saturday's game against Estrela due to a one-game suspension after receiving his marching orders against Arouca on April 14 but the Colombian midfielder should return to the side this weekend.
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Ribeiro, Borevkovic, J Silva; Maga, Handel, T Silva, Andre, Freitas; Butzke, Cesar
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Goncalves; Awaziem, Abascal, Onyemaechi; Malheiro, Lourenco, Makouta, Vukotic; Agra, Reisinho, Bozenik
We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 3-1 Boavista
While Guimaraes have suffered a drop-off in form of late, they will fancy themselves against Boavista given their solid home record in this fixture. That said, we are backing Pacheco's men to come away with all three points and continue their push for European football.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
