Fresh off the back of a comfortable victory in their Conference League opener, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Boavista in round eight of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
Having failed to win any of their last 10 visits to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, Os Axadrezados will head into the weekend looking to get one over the hosts and end their six-game winless run.
Match preview
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Vitoria de Guimaraes picked up a dream start to the 2024-25 Conference League campaign as they cruised to a 3-1 home victory over Slovenia outfit Celje on Thursday.
In a one-sided affair, Samu, Gustavo Silva and Tiago Silva all found the back of the net to put the hosts into a commanding lead before 24-year-old midfielder Aljosa Matko netted a 91st-minute consolation for Celje.
Vitoria de Guimaraes will look to keep the ball rolling as they turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they have enjoyed a decent start to the new campaign, picking up four wins and one draw from their opening seven games.
Having secured a fifth-placed finish last season, Rui Borges's men have picked up 13 points from the first 24 available to sit seventh in the standings but could move level with third-placed Benfica with all three points this weekend.
Following their midweek result over Celje, Guimaraes have now won six of their seven home games across all competitions this term — scoring 15 goals and keeping three clean sheets — with a 3-0 defeat against Porto on September 21 being the exception.
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Boavista, on the other hand, failed to find their feet in the new campaign as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Santa Clara when the two teams squared off at the Estadio de Sao Miguel.
Brazilian striker Vinicius Lopes continued his fine form in front of goal as he netted for the third consecutive game six minutes after the half-hour mark to fire Os Acorianos to their fifth victory of the campaign.
Boavista have now failed to win each of their last six matches, losing four and claiming two draws since kicking off the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia at the Estadio Pina Manique on August 10.
Cristiano Bacci's men have picked up just five points from their seven games so far to sit 16th in the league table, level on points with Estrela Amadora and Nacional, but could move level with eighth-placed Moreirense with a win on a Sunday.
However, next up for Boavista is a trip to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, where they have failed to win any of their last 10 visits, losing seven and claiming three draws since October 2014.
Team News
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Vitoria de Guimaraes remain without the services of 27-year-old defender Jorge Fernandes, who has missed each of the last seven games since picking up a shoulder injury against AVS on August 25.
Off the back of a solid display against Celje, Borges could name a similar XI this weekend, meaning that we could see an unchanged front three of Gustavo Silva, Nelson Oliveira and Kaio Cesar one again.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Alberto Baio, Toni Borevkovic, Tomas Ribeiro and Joao Mendes should form the backline, while we expect Tiago Silva, Tomas Handel and Mendes to retain their roles in midfield.
Meanwhile, Boavista will take to the pitch without the services of Morales Pires and first-choice goalkeeper Joao Goncalves, who have both been sidelined through knee injuries.
Uruguayan defender Rodrigo Abascal has missed each of Os Axadrezados' most recent two games due to a muscle problem while Reisinho is a doubt after coming off with a shoulder injury against Santa Clara last time out.
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Baio, Borevkovic, Ribeiro, Mendes; Silva, Händel, Mendes; Cesar, Oliveira, Santos
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Cesar; Gomes, Dabo, Onyemaechi, Ferreira; Silva, Camara, Perez; Miguel, Bozenik, Agra
We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-0 Boavista
Vitoria de Guimaraes will be licking their lips as they take on a Boavista side who have struggled to find their feet this season. Borges' men picked up an impressive Conference League victory in midweek and we are backing them to continue their fine run of results in front of their home supporters this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
