Ahead of their crucial clash at the Estadio Pina Manique on Sunday night, Casa Pia and Vitoria de Guimaraes are separated by just two points in the Primeira Liga table.
Vitoria occupy fifth place following a run of three straight wins, while Casa Pia find themselves sixth after managing a solitary victory in their previous six league outings.
Match preview
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Having gained promotion to Portugal's top flight for the first time in 83 years, Casa Pia were expected to find life difficult in the Primeira Liga, but they kicked off their comeback campaign in impressive fashion.
The Geese managed to win five of their opening eight league games this season, suffering a solitary defeat in the process, and they also won seven of their first 12 Primeira Liga clashes.
However, the newcomers have struggled to replicate their early-season form in recent months, recording two wins, two draws and four losses across their previous eight league outings.
On top of that, Casa Pia's eye-catching run in the Taca de Portugal ended at the quarter-final stage earlier this month, as Nacional secured a 5-2 victory at the Estadio Pina Manique.
Still, Filipe Martins's men remain in contention for a top-five finish in the Primeira Liga, and a positive result against fellow European chasers Vitoria de Guimaraes will aid their ambitions.
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That said, Casa Pia could struggle to get the better of their visitors this weekend, as Vitoria head into Sunday's clash on a three-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga.
Following a 2-1 victory over Chaves, Vitoria claimed back-to-back 1-0 wins against Estoril and Portimonense, meaning that Moreno's men have kept nine clean sheets in 20 league matches this season.
It is worth noting, however, that Vitoria have struggled on the road this term, losing five of their nine away league games – and three of their previous four – while picking up just three wins along the way.
After suffering successive 3-0 away defeats to Sporting Lisbon and Vizela, the Conquerors lost 2-1 at Gil Vicente last month, although they managed to beat Estoril 1-0 in their previous away league outing.
Vitoria and Casa Pia have both conceded 20 goals in 20 league matches this season, while Moreno's side have scored one goal more than the Geese, so Sunday's showdown looks set to be a tight affair.
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Casa Pia are still without Leo Natel after the Brazilian winger sustained a broken leg earlier in the season, while Leonardo Lelo and Duplexe Tchamba are injury doubts for this weekend.
Having netted six goals this season, Rafael Martins will continue to lead the line for the hosts, with Takahiro Kunimoto and Diogo Pinto supporting the top scorer.
As for the visitors, they will travel to the Estadio Pina Manique without the injured duo of Ze Carlos and Tomas Handel, with the latter last featuring for Vitoria back in February 2022.
Jorge Fernandes and Andre Andre also look set to miss Sunday's clash due to injury, so Moreno is expected to stick with the same XI that started Vitoria's third successive win last weekend.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Batista; Varela, Bolgado, Zolotic; Soares, Neto, Taira, Poloni; Kunimoto, Martins, Pinto
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Amaro, Bamba, Villanueva; Maga, Silva, Silva, Freitas; Silva, Silva; Safira
We say: Casa Pia 0-0 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Having scored a combined total of 37 goals across 40 league outings this season, Casa Pia and Vitoria de Guimaraes look destined to produce a low-scoring encounter on Sunday.
Furthermore, only the top two teams in the division – Benfica and Porto – have conceded fewer goals this term, so we expect Casa Pia and Vitoria to play out a goalless draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
