Having both lost to one of the Primeira Liga's 'Big Four' in the opening round, Belenenses meet Maritimo at Estadio Nacional on Monday seeking their first points of the campaign.
The two sides have lost each of their first two games coming into this encounter, with Taca da Liga exits coming ahead of their respective league defeats last week.
Match preview
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Finding themselves fighting for a top-half finish last term, Belenenses have certainly made progress since narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, but their pursuit of further improvement has got off to a shaky start due to defeats in league and cup.
In July, O Belem - who ultimately finished 10th last season - suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to second-tier Mafra in the Taca da Liga, which saw them dumped out of the competition in their first competitive game since the summer break.
Hopes of a bounce-back win were admittedly low ahead of their trip to title-contenders Porto last week, but a 2-0 reverse at the Dragao means that - including friendly losses to Roma and Sporting - it has been a month, and four games, since they last avoided defeat.
Head coach Petit - who excelled for Benfica during a playing career which saw him capped 57 times by Portugal - will no doubt be keen to re-establish his side's reputation for keeping things tight at the back following an uncertain spell, as no side outside of the established top four conceded fewer than Belenenses last term.
In keeping with such statistics, they have beaten this week's visitors Maritimo in three of their last four meetings - including April's 2-0 home win - conceding just two goals in the process.
However, the Lisbon-based outfit also averaged well under a goal per game themselves in 2020-21, and with signs from two successive final-third failures showing that little has changed in that regard, it may be an uphill struggle to replicate their previous achievements.
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After exiting the Taca da Liga in the second round, following their 1-0 home defeat to Boavista, a Maritimo side which escaped demotion by the skin of their teeth last season got underway in the Primieira Liga by losing 2-0 to Braga last Saturday night.
The Madeiran club fell to a second straight Estadio dos Barreiros loss, as Raul Silva turned in the opener for their visitors just after the hour and Ricardo Horta then fired in the second with a pinpoint free-kick.
Former Real Betis and Udinese coach Julio Velazquez was the man charged with rescuing Os Verde-Rubros in the spring - a challenge he was just about able to meet - but he looks to have his work cut out to fare much better this time around.
One of the mainstays of Portugal's top flight, having featured at the elite level for several decades now, Maritimo were regular contenders for the European places in the not too distant past. However, the club from Funchal are apparently setting their sights lower these days, with mid-table mediocrity considered a realistic aim.
To reach that goal, Velazquez will be targeting points from fixtures such as this Monday's, where they visit the mainland to take on out-of-form opponents lacking confidence in front goal.
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Team News
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Belenenses fielded their familiar system of five at the back for last Sunday's season opener, and should start with a similar shape this week - if a touch more forward-looking on the flanks.
Nilton Varela and Diogo Calila are set to continue out wide for the hosts, though new arrival Pedro Nuno could feature on the wing as a more offensive option, having appeared from the bench last time out after his move from Moreirense.
Star striker Mateo Cassierra will continue to operate as a lone frontman - with support from Alioune Ndour - after reaching double figures last season in a side which creates few chances.
Maritimo fared little better in front of goal last term, and Rodrigo Pinho - with Cameroonian striker Joel Tagueu, responsible for the lion's share of the Madeirans' offensive output during the 2020-21 campaign - recently completed a move to Benfica.
Veteran forward Edgar Costa has been utilised to help Tagueu so far, but the latter suffered a foot injury which forced him off early on last week and is a serious doubt for the trip to Lisbon.
Costa may instead be joined by Ali Alipour, with the Iranian striker standing ready to fill the vacancy in the visitors' attack.
Belenenses possible starting lineup:
Felipe; Calila, Ribeiro, Phete, Akas, Varela; Boni, Lukovic, Sithole; Ndour; Cassierra
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Silva; Winck, Jorge, Junior, China; Macedo, Pelagio, Mendes, V. Costa; Alipour, E. Costa
We say: Belenenses 1-1 Maritimo
A spectacular goal-fest is not on the menu for Monday evening at Estadio Nacional, as both sides are lacking form, confidence and a reliable source of goals.
Maritimo can escape from the capital with a point, if they make the most of the few opportunities they are likely to be afforded by Belenenses, who are set to meet defending champions Sporting next - so a first win of the season will have to wait a while longer yet.
Jonathan O'Shea
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Maritimo win with a probability of 38.1%. A win for Belenenses had a probability of 32.63% and a draw had a probability of 29.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Maritimo win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.65%) and 0-2 (7.4%). The likeliest Belenenses win was 1-0 (11.73%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.4%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Maritimo would win this match.
