Looking to snap their five-game winless run and move clear of the relegation zone, Famalicao play host to Gil Vicente at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Friday.
The Gilistas, meanwhile, could complete their first league double over the hosts after cruising to an emphatic 4-0 victory back in December's reverse fixture.
Match preview
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Famalicao failed to find their feet in the Primeira Liga as they fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Portimonense last weekend.
After Welinton Junior broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time, Portimonense held firm at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao to see out the result and end their run of 14 games without a win.
Famalicao have now failed to taste victory in five successive games, picking up two points from the possible 15 while scoring three goals and conceding six since a 2-1 win over Tondela on February 26.
With 28 points from 29 games, Rui Silva's side are currently 14th in the Primeira Liga standings, two points above 15th-placed Arouca and just three above Tondela in the relegation playoff spot.
However, Famalicao will fancy their chances of ending this dry spell and moving clear of the relegation places as they return home, where they are unbeaten in six of their last seven games, claiming three wins and three draws in that time.
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Elsewhere, Gil Vicente were handed a second consecutive league defeat for just the second time this season when they were beaten 2-1 by Moreirense last Friday.
Following an uneventful first half at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, the game sparked into life on the hour mark as Jefferson struck twice in a 15-minute spell to put the visitors two goals up before Samuel Lino pulled one back in the 89th minute.
Prior to that, the Gilistas saw their 12-game unbeaten run come to an end courtesy of a 2-1 loss at Arouca on April 2, when Andre Siva scored a brace to put the Arouquenses two goals up before Lucas Cunha grabbed a 92nd-minute consolation.
Ricardo Soares's men have now failed to win all but one of their last six games — picking up three draws and losing twice in that time — with a 1-0 victory at Braga on March 13 being the only exception.
While they have been solid in defence, this slump in form has been owing to their recent lack of clinical finishing at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have been guilty of a wasteful display, particularly in the last two outings.
With 46 points from 29 games, Gil Vicente are currently sixth in the league standings, nine points off fourth-placed Braga and seven above Vitoria de Guimaraes just outside the Conference League qualification places.
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Team News
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Famalicao once again have to cope without Spanish midfielder Ivan Jamie, who has been sidelined since picking up an injury against Arouca back in January.
The Portuguese duo of defender Ruben Lima and midfielder David Tavares are also set to sit out Friday's game as they continue their spells on the Vila Nova injury table.
Joao Carlos Teixeira adds to Famalicao's midfield crisis as the 29-year-old was hooked off the pitch just 10 minutes into the game against Portimonense last time out through injury.
Meanwhile, Gil Vicente will take to the pitch without Brazilian forward Murilo de Souza, who has been sidelined since last January through an Achilles tendon injury.
Antoine Leautey came off injured in the 57th minute against Moreirense last time out and should he fail to shake off his injury, Boubacar Hanne could come in for his first starting appearance of the season.
The Gilistas will be boosted by the return of Giorgi Aburjania after the Georgian midfielder missed the aforementioned game due to a suspension for picking up a red card against Arouca on April 2.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Ricceli, Batubinsika; Marin, Pepe, Pikel, H Tavares; Rodrigues, Cadiz, Banza
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Frelih; Carlos, Cunha, Fernandes, Talocha; Carvalho, Pedrinho; Fujimoto, Hanne, Lino; Navarro
We say: Famalicao 1-2 Gil Vicente
Looking at past results between Famalicao and Gil Vicente, we can expect a thrilling contest with plenty of goalmouth action. While both sides have struggled for results in recent weeks, the Gilistas have performed better for most of the season and we are tipping them to arrest their slump in form and return to winning ways on Friday.
Joshua Ojele
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 Famalicao win with a probability of 44.27%. A win for Gil Vicente had a probability of 28.95% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Famalicao win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.85%) and 2-0 (8.24%). The likeliest Gil Vicente win was 0-1 (9.1%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.68%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.7% likelihood.
