Vitoria de Guimaraes continue their push for European football on Saturday when they take a trip to the Estadio dos Arcos to face Rio Ave in round 32 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
With only three games to go, the Vilacondenses find themselves just four points above the relegation zone and will be looking to secure a vital win in their bid to secure their top-flight status.
Match preview
© Reuters
Rio Ave dropped two more points in their push away from the danger zone yet again as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Vizela when the sides met at the Estadio do FC Vizela last weekend.
A fourth-minute opener from Abdul-Aziz Yakubu gave the Vilacondenses a dream start to the game but in-form striker Samuel Essende netted his 15th goal of the season in the 37th minute to force a share of the spoils.
While Rio Ave have now gone nine consecutive games without defeat, eight of those matches have ended in stalemates, with a 3-0 victory over 10-man Gil Vicente on April 6 being the exception.
This run of results has seen Luis Freire's men drop to 12th place in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 32 points with 13th-placed Gil Vicente and four points above 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.
Rio Ave have been rock-solid at home, where they are unbeaten in 12 straight matches since the start of November, picking up four wins and six draws since a narrow 4-3 defeat at the hands of Farense on October 29.
However, their struggles have come on their travels, where they are the only side yet to taste victory this season — losing six and claiming 10 draws in their 16 matches — and currently hold the division's joint second-worst point tally (10).
© Reuters
Vitoria de Guimaraes, on the other hand, resumed their push for a place in Europe last weekend when they picked up a hard-fought 1-0 victory over 10-man Boavista at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.
In a cagey affair at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, Portuguese midfielder Tomas Handel put the hosts in front inside the opening 11 minutes before they turned in a solid defensive performance to see out the victory.
Prior to that, Alvaro Pacheco's men saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end on April 21, when they fell to a 3-0 loss at the hands of league leaders Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Vitoria de Guimaraes have now picked up 18 wins and six draws from their 31 Primeira Liga matches to collect 60 points and sit fifth in the league table, two points behind fourth-placed Braga and three adrift of third-placed Porto in the Europa League spot.
Next up for Os Vimaranenses is an opposing side who have failed to win any of their most recent four encounters, losing twice and claiming two draws since January 2023, and have managed just five wins in their last 20 meetings since January 2009.
Team News
© Reuters
Portuguese midfielder Josue Sa has missed each of Rio Ave's last four matches since coming off injured against Boavista on March 30 and is out of contention for this weekend's matchup.
With his strike against Vizela, Abdul-Aziz now has six goals and one assist in 15 appearances since joining the Vilacondenses in the January window and the 25-year-old will be one to keep an eye on.
As for Vitoria de Guimaraes, Pacheco will be unable to name Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who has been sidelined since suffering a cruciate ligament tear in May 2023.
He is joined on Os Vimaranenses' injury table by fellow midfielder Joao Mendes, who is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game after coming off with an ankle problem against Farense on April 13.
Nelson Oliveira missed the game against Boavista last time out due to a one-game suspension but the former Benfica striker is available for selection this weekend and should be included in the matchday squad.
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Jhonatan; Nobrega, Santos, William; Costinha, Tanlongo, Teixeira, Embalo; Boateng, Abdul-Aziz, Joca
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Ribeiro, Borevkovic, M Silva; Maga, Handel, Santos, Andre; Gaspar, J Silva, Cesar
We say: Rio Ave 1-2 Vitoria de Guimaraes
With just three games left to go, Vitoria de Guimaraes must avoid any slip-ups if they are to leapfrog either Braga or Porto to a spot in Europe. Pacheco's men have enjoyed the better of this fixture and we see them coming away with all three points, albeit by the odd goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
