Two sides who could do well with all three points go head to head in round 27 of the Primeira Liga as Estoril Praia play host to Porto at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday.
While the Canarinhos will be seeking to pull five clear of the relegation zone, Porto will be looking to make it three league wins on the bounce and move within three points of the Champions League qualifying places.
Match preview
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Estoril Praia picked up three huge points in their battle at the bottom end of the table just before the international break as they scraped a 1-0 victory over fellow bottom-dweller Portimonense on March 15.
Following a goalless first half, 34-year-old striker Cassiano came up clutch for the hosts as he struck eight minutes into the second half to hand the Alvinegros their 15th league defeat of the season.
Prior to that, Vasco Seabra's men were on a five-match winless run, losing four and claiming one draw while conceding 15 goals and scoring seven since the second week of February.
The Canarinhos have now won seven of their 26 Primeira Liga matches so far while losing 15 and claiming four draws to collect 25 points and sit 14th in the table, two points above Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.
While Estoril will look to secure back-to-back league victories for the first time since November, next up is the stern challenge of going up against a Porto side who are unbeaten in 17 of the last 20 meetings between the two teams, claiming 14 wins and three draws since January 2010.
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Porto returned to winning ways in their final outing before the international break when they fought back from behind to thrash 10-man Vizela 4-1 at the Estadio do Dragao.
A 17th-minute own goal from veteran defender Pepe gave the Vizelenses a first-half lead but second-half goals from Francisco Conceicao, Brazilian forward Pepe, Evanilson and Toni Martinez helped the hosts turn the game on its head.
This followed a round-of-16 exit from the Champions League on March 12, when they were beaten on penalties by Arsenal after a 1-1 aggregate stalemate with the Premier League outfit.
With the result against Vizela, Porto have now won three Primeira Liga games on the spin, scoring 12 goals and keeping two clean sheets, and are unbeaten in their last five matches since a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Arouca on February 12.
Sergio Conceicao's men have picked up 58 points from 26 matches to sit third in the Primeira Liga table, six points behind second-placed Porto in the Champions League qualifying places and five above fourth-placed Braga.
Team News
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Scottish midfielder Jordan Holsgrove has been sidelined since sustaining a muscle injury in the 2-1 loss against Braga on January 27 and the 24-year-old is out of contention for Estoril.
He is joined in the Canarinhos injury table by experienced defender Erick Cabaco, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury last September.
As for Porto, Conceicao will be unable to call upon the services of Nigerian full-back Zaidu Sanusi, who suffered an ACL injury shortly after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations back in February.
Fellow defender Ivan Marcano has also been out of action since picking up an ACL injury in September's game against Estrela Amadora, while Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez is a doubt.
With his strike against Vizela, Evanilson now has 11 Primeira Liga goals this term and we expect the Brazilian striker to spearhead Porto's attack once again, alongside Wanderson Galeno and Ajax loanee Conceicao.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Carne; Vital, Basso, Alvaro; Pina, Fernandes, Zanocelo, Gomes; Guitane, Cassiano, Tavares
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Otavio, Wendell; Eustaquio, Varela, Pepe; Conceicao, Galeno, Evanilson
We say: Estoril Praia 1-3 Porto
Given the stakes of this weekend's clash for both sides, we anticipate a thrilling contest at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota. However, Porto boast the firepower needed to get this one over the line and we fancy them to extend their dominance over the Canarinhos.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
