Casa Pia and Rio Ave will be looking to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the Taca de Portugal when they go head to head at the Estadio Pina Manique on Sunday.
While Os Gansos head into the cup tie unbeaten in each of their last eight home matches across all competitions, the Vilacondenses have failed to taste victory in their most recent three outings and will be looking to end this poor run.
Match preview
Casa Pia were denied a winning start to the new year as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Famalicao when the two teams squared off at the Estadio Pina Manique last Sunday.
In a game where Nuno Moreira received his marching orders, Joao Goulart opened the scoring in the 18th minute to put the hosts in front but Famalicao hit back through Oscar Aranda in the 34th minute before both sides settled for a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Casa Pia were on a run of three back-to-back victories, seeing off Estoril Praia, Arouca and Braga to record their longest run of consecutive wins since also picking up three straight victories between July and August 2023.
With last Sunday's result, Joao Pereira's men have now gone unbeaten in their most recent five outings — picking up three wins and two draws — a run which has seen them surge into seventh-place in the Primeira Liga standings.
Casa Pia now turn their attention to the Taca de Portugal, where they have eased through the first two rounds, brushing aside Amora FC and Chaves while scoring eight goals and keeping two clean sheets.
Os Gansos kicked off their cup quest with a five-star display on October 19, when they steamrolled Amora 5-0 at the Estadio da Medideira, five weeks before claiming a 3-0 win over Chaves courtesy of goals from Cassiano, Moreira and Jeremy Livolant.
Like this weekend's hosts, Rio Ave were denied a dream start to the new year as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Gil Vicente at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos last Monday.
After falling behind to Felix Correia's 38th-minute opener, the Vilacondenses upped the ante after the break as Brandon Aguilera struck one minute shy of the hour mark to force a share of the spoils.
This followed a 2-1 victory over Nacional at the Estadio dos Arcos on December 29, when Brazilian forward Clayton netted in both halves to hand Rio Ave a hard-fought win and end their three-match winless run in the league.
Petit's men, who are currently 10th in the Primeira Liga table, now turn their focus to the Taca de Portugal, where they avoided an upset in the second round as they needed penalties to see off Campeonato de Portugal outfit FC Alverca on November 23.
Rio Ave found themselves trailing by two goals after Alysson Silva and Anthony Carter put the hosts in a comfortable lead but Karem Zoabi and Clayton netted in the final seven minutes to force extra time, and with nothing to separate the two teams after 30 minutes, the visitors secured a 4-3 victory in the shootout.
Before that, Rio Ave kicked off their quest for a first Taca de Portugal title on October 19, when they brushed aside third-tier Atletico CP 3-1 in extra time at the Estadio da Tapadinha thanks to goals from Fabio Ronaldo, Aderllan Santos and Ahmed Mahgoub.
Team News
Casa Pia will have to cope without the services of 25-year-old forward Moreira, who is suspended after picking up a late red card in the game against Famalicao last time out.
On the injury front, Pereira will be unable to call upon the services of 24-year-old forward Claudio Mendes, who is yet to make an appearance this season after sustaining a knee injury in May.
He is joined on the club's injury table by fellow attacker Kiki Afonso, who continues his long road to full fitness after coming off injured in the game against Mafra back in August.
As for Rio Ave, English defender Jonathan Panzo has missed each of the last nine games since sustaining a knee injury against Benfica back in October and the former Cardiff City man will play no part in Sunday's tie.
Clayton, who boasts nine goals and one assist in 17 league matches, will also sit out this weekend's matchup through a one-game domestic suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold against Gil Vicente last time out.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Goulart, Fonte, Tchamba; Larrazabal, Segovia, Kraev, Lelo; Livolant, Cassiano, Svensson
Rio Ave possible starting lineup:
Miszta; Vrousai, Petrasso, Santos, Richards; Tiknaz, Neto, Novais; Bondoso, Morais, Aguilera
We say: Casa Pia 2-1 Rio Ave
While Casa Pia have put together a solid run of results in recent weeks, they will need to show their mettle against an opposing side who are unbeaten in their last four encounters. However, home advantage gives Os Gansos a slight upper hand and we are backing them to extend their impressive run of results at the Estadio Pina Manique.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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