Still licking their wounds from a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Benfica, Vizela go head to head with Estoril Praia in round 23 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.
The Canarinhos are unbeaten in each of their last four visits to the Estadio do FC Vizela and will head into the weekend looking to extend this three-year spell.
Match preview
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Vizela were sent crashing back to earth in their dogfight at the bottom end of the table as they suffered a 6-1 defeat at the hands of title-chasing Benfica last Sunday.
The Vizelenses were simply outclassed and outplayed at the Estadio da Luz as the hosts stormed to a resounding victory courtesy of goals from Nicolas Otamendi, Tiago Gouveia, Rafa Silva, Marcos Leonardo and a brace from Brazilian forward David Neres.
This came just five days after Vizela picked up a much-needed 1-0 victory over Gil Vicente at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos to end their run of five consecutive defeats across all competitions.
Ruben de la Barrera's men have now failed to win 11 of their last 12 Primeira Liga matches — losing seven and picking up four draws since September — a run which has put their three-year stint in the top flight in peril.
Off the back of an 11th-placed finish last season, Vizela find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Primeira Liga standings, five points away from safety, having picked up just 16 points from 22 matches so far.
They have scored just 20 goals this season, the joint-fewest tally in the division, highlighting a major stumbling block and a key area needing improvement if they hope to preserve their top-flight status.
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Over in Lisbon, Estoril Praia failed to steer clear of the danger zone last weekend as they were beaten 3-1 by Gil Vicente when the sides squared off at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.
In a game where Rodrigo Gomes received his marching orders, Alejandro Marques set the hosts on their way when he broke the deadlock in the 46th minute but Gabriel Pereira, Felix Correia and Ali Alipour all found the back of the net to turn the game on its head.
Having secured two wins and one draw in their final three games of 2023, Vasco Seabra's men have now won just one of their seven league matches since the turn of the year while losing five and picking up one draw.
This poor start to the year has seen the Canarinhos move into the relegation conversation as they sit 14th in the Primeira Liga table, level on points with Rio Ave and 16th-placed Estrela Amadora in the relegation playoff spot.
While Estoril will be looking to stop the rot and return to winning ways this weekend, results on their travels offer little optimism as they have won just one Primeira Liga away game this season and currently hold the division's joint-worst away record, having picked up just five points from 11 matches.
Team News
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Pedro Ortiz has been out of action since coming off injured against Moreirense back in December and the Spanish midfielder will play no part in Sunday's game.
He is joined on the Gil Vincente injury table by Belgian forward Jason Lokilo, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game through a muscle problem.
First-choice goalkeeper Francesco Ruberto was forced off injured inside the opening half-hour against Benfica last weekend, meaning that Fabijan Buntic could start between the sticks on Sunday.
Estoril Praia will take to the pitch without Braga loanee Gomes, who is set to serve the first of his three-game suspension after picking up a straight red card against Gil Vicente last time out.
On the injury front, the Canarinhos will have to cope without experienced defender Erick Cabaco, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a severe injury last September.
Scottish midfielder Jordan Holsgrove has missed each of Estoril's last four matches after sustaining an injury against Braga on January 27 and the 24-year-old is out of contention for this weekend's clash.
Vizela possible starting lineup:
Buntic; Goncalves, Anderson, Lebedenko; Silva, Nascimento, Costa, Pereira; Awudu, Essende, Quina
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Basso, Parra, Mangala; Volnei, Zanocelo, Costa, Araujo; Guitane, J Marques, A Marques
We say: Vizela 1-1 Estoril Praia
Vizela and Estoril Praia find themselves at the wrong end of the table and we expect them to go all out in search of all three points. However, we predict that both sides will cancel out each other's efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
