Looking to pick up three three home wins on the trot for the first time since January 2019, Portimonense take on Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Saturday.
The Leoes, meanwhile, head into the game unbeaten in each of their last eight games against the hosts and will be backing themselves to come away with the desired results once again.
Match preview
© Reuters
Portimonense failed to move into the top half of the Primeira Liga table last Saturday when they fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of 15th-placed Arouca.
In a cagey affair at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca, 31-year-old midfielder David Simao came up trumps for the Arouquenses as he scored the only goal of the game on the 50th-minute mark.
Paulo Sergio's men have now lost nine of their last 16 league outings since the turn of the year, while picking up 12 points from a possible 54 since a 1-0 win at Moreirense on December 12.
This poor run has been owing to their lack of sting at the attacking end of the pitch, where they currently hold the division's second-poorest record with just 28 goals scored so far — with only last-placed Belenenses scoring fewer.
With 35 points from 32 games, Portimonense currently occupy 12th place in the league standings, but could rise as high as eighth with all three points on Saturday.
However, standing in their way is an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in each of their last eight attempts, losing seven and holding out for one draw since a 4-2 victory back in October 2018.
© Reuters
Elsewhere, Sporting Lisbon made it two wins from two as they comfortably saw off Gil Vicente 4-1 when the sides squared off at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last weekend.
After falling two goals behind courtesy of Pablo Sarabia and Marcus Edwards, Fran Navarro pulled one back for the Gilistas on the stroke of half time, but a 53rd-minute own goal from Lucas Cunha restored the hosts' two-goal lead before Pedro Goncalves put the icing on the cake from the penalty spot three minutes after the hour mark.
Prior to that, Ruben Amorim's side fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Benfica on April 17 which saw their run of 10 league games without defeat come to an end before claiming a 3-0 victory at Boavista eight days later.
The Leoes have now won 25, drawn four and lost three of their 32 games this season to collect 79 points and sit second in the league standings, six points adrift of first-placed Porto with two games to play.
While Sporting Lisbon could potentially move level on points with the league leaders, their hopes of retaining their crown are effectively over as Sergio Conceicao's men boast a goal difference of +16 at the top of the pile.
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Portimonense will take to the pitch without Adewale Sapara after the Nigerian midfielder sustained an injury in March's game against Benfica.
Other than that, the Portimao-based outfit boast a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Sergio the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Meanwhile, Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates is out of contention for the visitors after the 31-year-old picked up a knee injury in the game against Boavista on April 25.
On the back of his side's dominant display against the Gilistas, Amorim could name a similar side on Saturday, meaning we could see an attacking trio of Goncalves, Edwards and Sarabia once again.
Pedro Porro, Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes and Nuno Santos should all start at the centre of the park, while we should see a back three of Luis Neto, Goncalo Inacio and Matheus Reis.
Portimonense possible starting lineup:
Niazmand; Moufi, Rocha, Pedrao, Relvas; Ewerton, Luquinha, Carlinhos; Nakajima, Angulo, Junior
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Neto, Inacio, Reis; Porro, Palhinha, Nunes, Santos; Goncalves, Edwards, Sarabia
We say: Portimonense 0-3 Sporting Lisbon
Looking at past results between the sides, Sporting Lisbon head into the weekend as firm favourites to come away with all three points. Portimonense are winless in each of their last eight games against the visitors and we predict this trend will continue with Amorim's side claiming all three points once again.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Sporting Lisbon win with a probability of 62.04%. A draw has a probability of 21.2% and a win for Portimonense has a probability of 16.72%.
The most likely scoreline is Portimonense 0-1 Sporting Lisbon with a probability of 11.09% and the second most likely scoreline is Portimonense 0-2 Sporting Lisbon with a probability of 10.9%.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
