Gamweek 14 in the Primeira Liga brings us a bottom-half clash, with Chaves taking on Casa Pia at Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are currently in 16th place, occupying the relegation playoff spot with 10 points after 13 games, while the visitors are 13th and just three points ahead of their opponents.
Match preview
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After finishing last season just outside the European qualification places, Chaves would have been targeting cracking the top six this season, but that is not how it has panned out for them so far.
The hosts started the 2023-24 league campaign with five consecutive defeats, and while they did manage a three-match unbeaten run at the start of October, they reversed that form with three losses on the trot leading up to the November international break.
They managed to fight back to beat Vizela 2-1 after the international break but hopes of a rally in performance took a severe blow last week, when they were taken apart 4-0 by Estoril on the road.
While Moreno's side have found themselves on the wrong end of a few big scorelines this season, they have fared well on their home patch of late, earning seven points from the last 12 on offer while only losing to Benfica in that time.
Chaves beat this opponent home and away last season and need another good result here, or they may find themselves at the bottom of the table by the end of the weekend if Arouca and Vizela manage a point in their matches.
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Last season was Casa Pia's first-ever appearance in the Primeira Liga, and they performed admirably to earn a top-10 finish and 18 points clear of the relegation zone.
However, like their opponents, the visitors have failed to follow up on that performance so far this term and are currently just one loss away from potentially being dragged into the bottom three.
Pedro Moreira made a winning start to his tenure as manager last month with a 1-0 win over Portimonense but proved no match for Porto last weekend as the Dragons cruised to a 3-1 victory at home.
The new boss will be keen to bounce back from that result, though his side are currently winless in their last four matches on the road, including three losses and a draw.
Team News
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Chaves have no reported injuries heading into this important clash and are likely to remain unchanged and in their customary 3-4-3 formation.
Steven Vitoria, Bruno Rodrigues and Bruno Langa are expected to make up the back three in front of Rodrigo Moura, with Kelechi Nwakali providing cover from midfield.
Hector Hernandez scored from the spot against Vizela at the start of the month and will provide support for Jo at the top end of the field.
Casa Pia will be able to welcome back Pablo Roberto for this match following his three-match suspension for a red card against Vizela last month.
Kiki Silva and Rafael Brito have not featured at all this season due to Achilles tendon injuries and are the only players unavailable for the visitors in this one.
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Moura; Vitoria, Rodrigues, Langa; Carraca, Machado, Nwakali, Cruz; Hernandez, Sanca; Santos
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Batista; Varela, Fernandes, Zolotic; Lelo, Justo, Mukendi, Geraldes; Dias, Clayton, Soma
We say: Chaves 1-1 Casa Pia
While Casa Pia never really looked likely to trouble Porto last week, there was enough in their performance against Portimonense to suggest that the new manager's impact could be a positive one. Chaves cannot afford to lose, though, and are pretty good on their home patch recently. This looks like a very even contest on paper, and we feel these sides will not be split at full time.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
