Chaves host Porto at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira on Saturday evening, hoping to boost their survival fight.
The hosts find themselves deep in the relegation zone, just one point above bottom club Vizela, while the visitors are looking to hold on to the Europa League spot.
Match preview
Chaves' two-year stint in the top-flight is at risk as they have only managed five wins in 31 matches so far. Joao Teixeira's men have suffered 18 losses and drawn eight, collecting a meagre 23 points.
They boast the second-worst defence in the league, conceding a staggering 65 goals. Their attack is not much better, ranking as the second-weakest with only 31 goals scored.
Form has not been on their side either, with just one win in their last nine league matches. To make matters worse, they have not won against Porto in their last six meetings in all competitions and have only one win in 25 games against them historically.
With three matches remaining, the situation looks bleak, as they need to find a way to bridge a seven-point gap if they want to avoid relegation.
Porto, on the other hand, are battling to secure a Europa League spot. They recently dropped points after letting a two-goal lead slip against league leaders Sporting Lisbon, settling for a disappointing 2-2 draw.
Evanilson and Pepe found the net in the first half, but Viktor Gyokeres scored twice in the dying minutes (87th and 88th) to snatch a point for Sporting.
This recent form slump – failing to win in four of their last five league outings – has jeopardized their chances of finishing in the top three, as they currently sit just one point ahead of Braga, who are breathing down their necks for the Europa League spot.
Despite their recent struggles, Porto boast the fourth-best away record in the league and they have won a remarkable 12 out of their 14 trips to Chaves, with only one loss and one draw.
With their European aspirations hanging in the balance, Porto will be desperate to pick up maximum points in their next two matches before facing Braga on the final day. This final match against Braga could be a winner-takes-all battle for the Europa League spot.
Team News
Hector Hernandez now has 14 Primeira Liga goals this season and we expect the Spanish striker to spearhead Chaves' attack once again.
Joao Correia and Ruben Ribeiro should join Hernandez in the front three for this clash as they have done in the last three matches.
Porto will be without the likes of Zaidu Sanusi (ACL), Ivan Marcano (ACL) and Joao Mario (muscle) who continue their spells on the sideline.
Andre Franco, Antonio Martinez, Ivan Jaime and defender Jorge Sanchez will also play no part in Sunday's game as they have all been ruled out due to personal reasons.
Evanilson is Porto's top scorer with 12 league goals and he is expected to lead the line once more on Saturday.
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Souza; Nogueira, Fernandes, Pius; Nwakali, Guzzo, Essugo, Carraca; Correia, Ribeiro, Hernandez
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Fernandes , Ze Pedro, Pepe, Wendell; Gonzalez, Varela; Conceicao, Pepe, Galeno; Evanilson
We say: Chaves 0-2 Porto
Relegation-battling Chaves are desperate for points here but they lack the quality to hurt a side like Porto, who have dominated this fixture over the years. We expect the visitors to pick up a win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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