Two sides separated by just one point at the bottom end of the Primeira Liga table lock horns on Saturday as Estoril Praia play host to Arouca at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.
Both sides head into the weekend off the back of contrasting results in the Taca de Portugal, with the Arouquenses picking up a dominant victory over amateur side Maria da Fonte.
Match preview
Estoril Praia were on the wrong end of an upset in the Taca de Portugal as they fell to a shock penalty-shootout defeat against Campeonato de outfit Lusitano Evora last Sunday.
The fourth-tier outfit turned in a defensive show of class at the Campo Estrela to repel the visitors and take the game to penalties, where they picked up a 4-3 victory to book their spot in the fourth round.
With that result, Estoril Praia became one of just three top-flight sides to crash out of the Taca de Portugal at the first hurdle, joining Nacional who suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Segunda Liga side Uniao Leiria and Boavista, who fell to a 1-0 defeat against Varzim.
This was in keeping with their struggles in the Primeira Liga, where Ian Cathro's men are on a three-game winless run, including back-to-back defeats against Sporting Lisbon and Farense, and have managed just one win this season.
While Estoril will be looking to stop the rot and snap their three-game losing streak this week, next up is the challenge of an opposing side who have won four of their most recent five clashes, with a 2-0 loss in May 2023 being the exception.
Arouca, on the other hand, picked up a dream start to the Taca de Portugal campaign as they cruised to a 5-0 victory over amateur side Maria de Fonte at the Estadio Moinhos Novos last Sunday. Â
Guven Yalcin struck twice in a seven-minute spell to put the Primeira Liga side in a comfortable lead before Jason, Henrique Araujo and Pedro Santos all hit the target to cap off a dominant team display.
Head coach Gonzalo Garcia will hope that his side can build on that result as they turn their focus to the Primeira Liga, where they had a topsy-turvy start to the season and are on a run of just one win in their last five games.
Arouca have picked up two wins from their eight league matches while losing five and claiming one draw to collect seven points and sit 13th in the standings, one point and two places above Saturday's hosts.
Like Estoril, the Arouquenses' slow start to the season has been owing to their struggles at the attacking end of the pitch, where the two teams have both scored just four goals from their opening eight games.
Team News
Estoril Praia remain without experienced forward Helder Costa, who is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game after picking up an injury against Nacional on September 15.
Former Braga man Xeka has also missed each of the last three games through a muscle problem and the 29-year-old midfielder is out of contention for the home side.
Arouca, meanwhile, will have to cope without Nino Galovic and 28-year-old defender Quaresma Correia, who have been sidelined through knee and muscle injuries respectively.
They are joined on the Arouquenses' injury table by the midfield duo of Oriol Busquets and Kouassi Eboue, who are yet to feature this season as they continue their journey to full fitness.
Matias Rochas has missed each of the last four games since coming off injured in September's game against Rio Ave and the Uruguayan defender will play no part in this weekend's clash.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Robles; Pina, Alvaro, Boma, Amaral; Zanocelo, Holsgrove, Costa; Garcia, Marques, Begraoui
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Mantl; Esgaio, Popovic, Fontan, Dante; Simao, Fukui; Trezza, Sylla, Rodrigues; Jason
We say: Estoril Praia 1-2 Arouca
It has been a slow start to the league campaign for Estoril Praia and Arouca, who find themselves separated by just one point at the bottom of the table, and we expect both sides to go all out in search of maximum points this weekend.
The Arouquenses take on a deflated Estoril side who were sent packing from the Taca de Portugal last time out, and we are tipping them to come away with the desired result, albeit by a slender margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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