Mid-table dwellers Famalicao will host table-topping Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese Primeira Liga at the Municipal Stadium Famalicao on Saturday night.
The home side have lost their last five encounters against the visitors in all competitions, but they will be looking for an unlikely upset to move further away from the relegation zone and potentially add some intrigue to the title race.
Match preview
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Famalicao suffered their second consecutive defeat, falling 1-0 to Moreirense at the Parque Desportivo Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on Sunday evening.
The Vila Nova were pegged back in the first half but managed to hold on at the back without conceding. They sparked into life in the second half, but Maracas's 82nd-minute strike for Moreirense sunk the Famalicao ship.
Prior to that, Joao Pedro Sousa's side had picked up their first win of the year on January 13, when they edged out 10-man Casa Pia 2-0 at the Estadio Pina Manique to snap their six-match winless run across all competitions. However, they failed to build on that, losing 2-1 to Braga in the next game.
Famalicao have now lost seven of their 19 Primeira Liga matches while claiming five wins and seven draws to collect 22 points and sit 10th in the table, five points above the relegation playoff spot.
The Vila Nova have been better at home than on the road, but they have struggled on home turf in recent games - winless in four consecutive matches at the Municipal Stadium Famalicao.
Their next challenge is even tougher, facing a side they have only beaten twice in 14 encounters, losing the last five meetings.
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Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, are riding high with six straight league wins, including an emphatic 8-0 drubbing of Casa Pia last time out.
This marks their second 8-0 victory this season, mirroring their Taca de Portugal triumph against Dumiense CJPII back in November.
Sebastian Coates, Viktor Gyokeres and Francisco Trincao each grabbed braces, while Pedro Goncalves and Geny Catamo added to the scoreline.
Determined to reclaim the Primeira Liga title after their last triumph in 2020-21, Sporting Lisbon have enjoyed a remarkable season so far, amassing 49 points from their opening 19 games, one point ahead of second-placed Benfica and five more than third-placed Porto.
Sporting's bid for another title has been largely fuelled by their potent attack, the most prolific in the league with 53 goals, and Famalicao, with only one clean sheet in their last nine games, could be in for a long night.
Brimming with confidence from their winning streak, Sporting Lisbon are favorites to extend their run on Saturday against an opponent they have not lost to since 2020.
Team News
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The hosts have a clean slate heading into this match, with no player injured or suspended.
Jhonder Cadiz leads the goalscoring chart for the Vila Nova with six league goals so far and he is expected to spearhead the attack once again.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Hidemasa Morita, who is currently with the Japan national team at the Asian Cup, and Ousmane Diomande, who is away at the AFCON with Ivory Coast.
On the injury front, the Lions remain without Jerry St. Juste and teenage defender Ivan Fresneda, who are currently recuperating from muscle and shoulder injuries respectively.
With his brace against Casa Pia, Gyokeres now has 20 goals and nine assists in 23 matches across all competitions this season and the Swedish striker will look to add to his tally on Saturday.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Nathan, Riccieli, Otavio, Moura; Youssouf, Topic; Fonseca, Sa, Dobre; Cadiz
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Quaresma, Coates, Inacio, Esgaio; Hjulmand, Goncalves, Santos; Trincao, Paulinho, Gyokeres
We say: Famalicao 0-2 Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Lisbon are in full title race mode and look unstoppable at the moment. The Lions will have too much for Famalicao to handle and this should be a straightforward win for the visitors.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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