Seeking to move out of the relegation zone, Casa Pia play host to Arouca at the Estadio Pina Manique in round 22 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.
The Arouquenses head into the weekend fresh off the back of a rare victory over league heavyweight Porto and will be looking to make it five league wins on the bounce for the first time since their return to the top flight.
Match preview
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Having secured a 10th-placed finish last season, Casa Pia have seen their two-year stint in the top flight come under serious threat as they find themselves scrambling for points at the bottom end of the table.
Pedro Moreira's side have won just five of their 21 matches while losing 11 and claiming five draws to collect 20 points and sit 16th in the Primeira Liga standings, one point behind 15th-placed Portimonense above the relegation zone.
Casa Pia's struggles this season has been owing to their lack of cutting edge in the final third, where they have failed to score in four of their last five matches and currently hold the division's joint-poorest record, with just 19 goals scored so far.
This was highlighted against Rio Ave last Sunday when they failed to pose any threat at the Estadio dos Arcos before Ghanian forward Abdul-Aziz Yakubu struck in the 88th minute to hand the hosts a narrow victory.
Casa Pia have now gone five consecutive matches without a win, losing four and picking up one draw since kicking off the year with a 4-1 victory over Moreirense at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on January 8.
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Over in the North, Arouca turned in an attacking show of class last Monday as they picked up a stunning 3-2 victory over Porto when the sides squared off at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.
In a game where Fabio Cardoso received his marching orders, Rafa Mujica, Cristo Gonzalez and Jason all found the back of the net to fire the hosts to their first win over Porto since February 2016 — bringing an end to a nine-game winless run against the Dragoes.
Having lost each of their opening three matches at the start of the new year, Arouca have now won four consecutive league games for the first time since returning to the top flight in 2021.
This upturn in form has been owing to the solid job done at the attacking end of the pitch as Daniel Sousa's side have scored 12 goals in their last four matches, having scored just one in their first three games in 2024.
The Arouquenses have now won eight of their 21 Primeira Liga matches while losing nine and claiming four draws to collect 28 points and sit seventh in the league table, 12 points adrift of the Europa Conference League qualifying spot.
Next up for Arouca is a Casa Pia side who have won just one home game this season and currently hold the division's joint-worst home record, having picked up just six points from their 10 matches at the Estadio Pina Manique.
Team News
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Casa Pia will take to the pitch without experienced midfielder Nermin Zolotic, who is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game after coming off injured against Farense on January 20.
Portuguese forward Kiki Silva has been sidelined since last March through an Achilles tendon injury and will also play no part in Sunday's game.
Pedro Santos crossed the yellow card threshold with his booking in Arouca's game against Porto last time out and the 23-year-old will serve a one-match suspension this weekend.
In his absence, Spanish midfielder Oriol Busquets will push for a place in the Arouquenses starting XI, teaming up with 33-year-old David Simao in the centre of the park.
Mujica has been on song for Arouca this season and the former Las Palmas striker, who has 13 goals and one assist in the Primeira Liga, will be one to keep an eye on.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Batista; Larrazabal, Tchamba, Varela, Lelo; Moreira, Mukendi, Neto, Soma; Justo, Clayton
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Bambu, Montero, Weverson; Simao, Busquets; Jason, Gonzalez, Sylla; Mujica
We say: Casa Pia 1-3 Arouca
Arouca have turned a corner in recent weeks and will be backing themselves against an out-of-sorts Casa Pia side. While we expect the hosts to put up a fight, we predict that the Arouquenses will pick up all three points at the Estadio Pina Manique.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
