Two sides level on points in the Primeira Liga table will meet on Sunday when Vizela face Rio Ave at the Estadio Do Vizela.
The hosts will be aiming to claim a third consecutive home victory, while Rio Ave are looking to end a four-game winless run.
Match preview
© Reuters
After finishing four points above the bottom three last season, Vizela have made progress on the pitch this term, picking up 21 points from their 17 matches to leave them in ninth position ahead of the weekend's round of fixtures.
They only managed to record seven league victories in the entirety of their 2021-22 campaign, but at the halfway mark of the current season, they already have six wins to their name.
In their most recent outing, Vizela were unfortunate to lose 2-1 away to Sporting Lisbon after Alex Mendez cancelled out Pedro Goncalves's equaliser, but Pedro Porro scored from the spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time to condemn Vizela to a third straight away defeat in all competitions.
They will be looking forward to returning to home surroundings this weekend, after winning their last two home matches by a 3-0 scoreline.
Tulipa's side will now be aiming to secure a third straight home win, and they also have the chance to complete a league double over Rio Ave following a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
After securing promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking, Rio Ave's first priority would have been to avoid a relegation battle and retain their place in the Primeira Liga.
At the halfway point of the season, the signs are positive for Rio Ave, who are seven points clear of the bottom three, and six points adrift of the top five.
Sunday's visitors currently sit one place behind Vizela on goal difference, but if they are to leapfrog their opponents then they will need to end a four-game winless run, which has been made up of three draws and one defeat.
Finding the net has proven to be a difficult task in recent weeks for Rio Ave, who have failed to score in their last three games, although they have been defensively resilient, keeping four clean sheets in their previous six league matches.
Rio Ave have drawn more away games (5) than any other side in the Primeira Liga, and their struggles to convert draws into victories on their travels have restricted them to just one away win in the league this season.
Team News
© Reuters
After utilising three central defenders and two wing-backs for the defeat to Sporting, Vizela are expected to revert to a back four on Sunday, with Bruno Wilson and Anderson set to operate in the centre of defence.
An injury issue prevented Claudemir from featuring last weekend, but he is expected to be fit enough to feature in the starting lineup against Rio Ave.
Milutin Osmajic will continue to lead the line for Vizela, and he will be looking to add to the four goals that he has scored this season.
As for the visitors, they are still unable to call upon the services of Joca, who has been sidelined since September with a knee injury.
Luis Freire could make a number of changes to his side, with Andreas Samaris, Paulo Vitor, Miguel Baeza and Emmanuel Boateng all in contention for starting berths.
Having top scored for Rio Ave in the league this season with six goals, Abdul-Aziz Yakubu will retain his place in the forward line.
Vizela possible starting lineup:
Buntic; Juliao, Wilson, Anderson, Igor; Claudemir, Guzzo; Moreira, Samu, Bondoso; Osmajic
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Sa, Santos, William; Costinha, Samaris, Guga, Vitor; Baeza, Boateng, Yakubu
We say: Vizela 1-1 Rio Ave
The two sides appear to be closely matched, and with Vizela set to face a Rio Ave side who have drawn five of their nine away league matches, we think that Sunday's encounter could finish all square.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
