Boavista will be hoping to climb away from danger in the Primeira Liga when they host newly-promoted Vizela in a big relegation battle at the Estadio do Bessa on Sunday afternoon.

The hosts remain the draw experts in Portugal but this has seen them slide towards the drop, whilst the visitors are enjoying a bright start to life in the top flight, but remain far from safety yet.

Match preview

Boavista's 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Santa Clara on Tuesday evening was the first that Petit's side had lost in six league matches, although Sunday's hosts had only won once during that spell as well.

In fact, the four consecutive 1-1 draws prior to that loss have increased their total draws for the league campaign so far to a remarkable tally of 10 from their opening 20 games.

As a result, the loss at Santa Clara was only the seventh that As Panteras had suffered up to this point, but their inability to turn draws into wins means they are struggling down in 14th place at the time of writing, owing to just three wins all campaign.

With two of the three arriving in the opening trio of games back in August, it means that just a sole win has been recorded in their last 17 Primeira Liga fixtures, so unless Petit and his side can find a way of seeing out games to seal the three points, a further drop towards the relegation spots is inevitable.

However, on a positive note ahead of Sunday's important clash, all of the hosts' wins this season have arrived at the Estadio do Bessa, and just one of their seven defeats has been tasted on home soil as well.

Therefore, Boavista will remain confident of picking up a vital win in front of their own supporters, which carries the potential of extending the gap between themselves and the relegation playoff spot to a potential five points.

Meanwhile, Vizela's thrilling 3-2 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes last Sunday meant it was back-to-back wins by the same scoreline for the newly-promoted side.

Considering the number of glorious opportunities missed by Alvaro Pacheco's side though, the result should have been by a much greater, and far more comfortable, margin.

Those vital six points have lifted Sunday's visitors into a relatively comfortable spot of 11th as things stand, although only a five-point gap remains between themselves and Famalicao in the relegation playoff spot.

Like their hosts, they too were draw experts themselves at the beginning of the campaign, having drawn seven of their opening 11 league fixtures, although after not registering a draw in any of the 12 matches across all competitions since then, Boavista's draw record surely has to give against Vizela on Sunday.

Should Vizela manage to record a third straight win, the visitors could climb as high as ninth in the table, and potentially to within a remarkably low gap of just two points to Vitoria in sixth place in the process.

Team News

Boavista are set to remain without goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand for a few weeks due to COVID-19, so 40-year-old veteran Rafael Bracali will continue between the posts.

The only previous absentee was Yusupha Njie, but the forward is back available after featuring for Gambia at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He could slot straight back into the forward line alongside Gustavo Sauer, with the duo supporting lone striker Petar Musa up front.

As for the visitors, Pacheco looks set to have a fully-fit squad to choose from on Sunday, with previous lone absentee Ivanildo Fernandes set to return following a two-month absence for various reasons, with the latest being due to COVID-19.

He could struggle to slot back into the defence immediately though, with January signing Anderson forming a strong relationship with Mohamed Aidara at the heart of the back four.

Top goalscorer Cassiano will lead the line once more, with five of his six goals this season arriving in his last six outings.

Pedro Silva looks to continue his spell in goal ahead of previous number one Charles, despite his dip in form during the last couple of games.

Boavista possible starting lineup:
Bracali; Santos, Abascal, Ilori; Santos, Makouta, Perez, Hamache; Sauer, Njie; Musa

Vizela possible starting lineup:
Silva; Kouao, Anderson, Aidara, Ofori; Guzzo, Claudemir, Mendez; Bondoso, Cassiano, Moreira

We say: Boavista 1-0 Vizela

Although the form book appears to be pointing towards the visitors picking up at least a point on Sunday, we are predicting a narrow win for the hosts.

Boavista's strong record at home cannot be ignored, so despite their stuttering form, it is difficult to see them losing this clash, and we believe they are capable of picking up a vital three points.

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