Fresh off the back of reaching the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal, Estrela Amadora play host to Famalicao in round nine of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.
The Vila Nova, who are without a win in their last three away games, journey to the Estadio Jose Gomes looking to return to winning ways and move into the top half of the table.
Match preview
© Reuters
Estrela Amadora picked up back-to-back wins for the first time since returning to the Portuguese top flight as they edged out Vila Mea 1-0 in their Taca de Portugal third-round clash last Saturday.
With nothing to separate the sides heading into the final seven minutes, Brazilian defender Erivaldo Almeida came up clutch for the visitors as he netted the all-important goal to knock out the Campeonato de Portugal outfit.
This followed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Casa Pia at the Estadio Pina Manique on October 8, when Ronaldo Tavares grabbed a 93rd-minute winner to snap their four-match winless run in the Primeira Liga.
Consistency has been an issue for Sergio Vieira's men, who have picked up two wins and two draws in their opening eight matches to sit 11th in the league table, level on eight points with 12th-placed Portimonense.
While Estrela will look to pick up a third consecutive victory for the first time since April, they now return home where they have lost three of their four matches this season, with a 2-1 victory over Estoril Praia on August 25 being the exception.
© Reuters
Famalicao, on the other hand, were denied a third home win on the bounce last time out when they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao.
Despite being on the front foot for most of the game, the Vila Nova were guilty of a wasteful display in front of goal as a first-brace from Joao Mendes and Bruno Gaspar's 77th-minute fired the visitors to all three points.
Prior to that, Famalicao were undefeated in four consecutive matches since the start of September, picking up two wins and two draws while keeping two clean sheets and conceding three goals in that time.
With 12 points from their opening eight matches, Joao Pedro Sousa's men are currently eighth in the Primeira Liga standings but could move level with sixth-placed Boavista with all three points this weekend.
While Famalicao will be looking to find their feet on Sunday, they have struggled for results on the road, where they are on a three-match winless run and have picked up just one win in their last nine games since April.
Team News
© Reuters
Estrela Amadora will take to the pitch without the services of Brazilian midfielder Leo Cordeiro, who came off injured against Braga on September 28.
He is joined on the club's injury table by fellow countryman Bruno Brigido, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after picking up an injury back in September.
Meanwhile, Famalicao remain without Venezuelan forward Cadiz, who will serve the second of his three-match suspension after picking up a straight red card against Boavista on September 30.
In his absence, Benfica loanee Henrique Araujo should spearhead the Vila Nova attack once again, teaming up with Afonso Rodrigues and Jose Luis Rodriguez in the final third.
At the opposite end of the pitch, we expect an unchanged backline from the game against Guimaraes last time out, meaning that Nathan, Riccieli, Otavio and Francisco Moura should retain their roles in the back four, with Luiz Junior starting in goal.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Filipe; Otieno, Mansur, Gaspar; Santos, Souza, Sa, Reis; Martins, Kikas, Jaba
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Nathan, Riccieli, Otavio, Moura; Youssouf, Lacoux; Liimatta, Rodrigues, Rodriguez; Araujo
We say: Estrela Amadora 2-1 Famalicao
After stumbling into the new campaign, Estrela appear to have hit their stride in recent weeks and will look to maintain their new-found form. Famalicao's struggles away from home give Vieira's men a slight edge and we are backing them to come away with a narrow victory in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
