Estoril Praia will welcome Chaves to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Sunday for a crucial contest at the bottom end of the Primeira Liga table.

After 12 rounds of league games, the two sides are tied on 10 points, with the hosts sat 14th and the visitors in the relegation playoff place due to an inferior goal difference.

Match preview

Estoril Praia head into the 13th round of Primeira Liga fixtures hoping to make a return to winning ways in their survival bid, having suffered a defeat last time out after majorly improving their standing at the bottom end of the division prior to the November international break.

Following a defeat to Portimonense at the end of October, Vasco Seabra's side sat at the foot of Portugal's top flight with just four points on the board from nine outings, but they were able to reverse their fortunes before the break, firstly defying the odds to score a second league win of the campaign when they travelled to title-chasing Porto, as Jordan Holsgrove netted the only goal of the game 15 minutes from time at the Estadio do Dragao.

On a high from that triumph, the Canarinhos then hosted Casa Pia in their final game before the halt in play, and they scored an eye-catching 4-0 victory to jump out of the bottom three, as Alejandro Marques, Rafik Guitane, Rodrigo Gomes and Cassiano all got on the scoresheet.

Then following a 2-1 triumph over Mafra in the Taca de Portugal fourth round, Seabra's men returned to league action at the beginning of the month with a tough away at fourth-placed Braga, and they were unable to overcome the odds again to make it three wins on the bounce and four in all competitions, eventually succumbing to a 3-1 defeat with the hosts' third goal only coming in injury time.

Now on the back of another confidence-boosting triumph over Porto on Wednesday, as they prevailed in a 3-1 victory in the Taca da Liga group stage thanks to goals from Cassiano, Guitane and Joao Carlos, Estoril Praia will aim to make a return to winning ways on Sunday to put some crucial distance between themselves and the relegation zone, given they only lead their visitors on goal difference.

Their opponents, meanwhile, also head into the weekend's six-pointer looking to gain important ground in the fight at the bottom of the Primeira Liga on the back of a victory last time out.

Chaves experienced a dismal start to the new top-flight campaign, losing each of their first five matches, but they have at least remained competitive by opening their account and putting 10 points on the board in the last seven attempts, starting with a draw against Estrela Amadora and back-to-back victories over Arouca and Gil Vicente to get up and running.

They were unable to build an extended run on the back of those triumphs, though, heading into the recent international break on the back of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Vitoria de Guimaraes, a 2-0 loss to Benfica and a 2-1 defeat away at Portimonense and sitting 17th as a result.

Seeking to put that disappointment behind them and climb out of the drop zone, Moreno's side returned to action at home to fellow strugglers Vizela last Friday, and they came away with a crucial 2-1 victory to leapfrog their opposition, having come from a goal behind, as Hector Hernandez levelled the scores on the hour-mark before Jo netted their decisive goal early in the second half.

Such a result saw Chaves move out of the automatic drop zone and up to 16th spot, and now only trailing Rio Ave and Sunday's hosts on goal difference, they will aim to continue their climb away from the bottom of the table with a second straight three-point haul.

Team News

Estoril Praia made several rotations for their Taca da Liga tie against Porto, and despite the impressive display and result in that game, they should revert to a similar starting XI from their last league outing against Braga, with Marcelo Carne expected to return between the sticks, while Bernardo Vital should come back into a back three alongside Eliaquim Mangala and Volnei Feltes.

Cassiano will hope to keep his place up front after his goal in midweek, though, with Alejandro Marques also fighting to come back in and lead the line having netted four league goals so far this term.

Rafik Guitane has scored in back-to-back games and should feature from the outset in a front three, while Mateus Fernandes and Jordan Holsgrove are both expected to return in midfield.

Following their 2-1 triumph over Vizela last time out, Chaves are expected to come into Sunday's meeting with an unchanged starting XI in their preferred 3-4-3 shape.

Hector Hernandez will continue to play a starring role in the attack, having notched up eight goals in just 12 Primeira Liga appearances so far this term, while Jo will again join him after opening his account for the season last Friday.

Kelechi Nwakali is a mainstay in the engine room and Joao Pedro should again partner him, while Ygor Nogueira, Steven Vitoria and Sandro Cruz are bound to line up in an unaltered back three.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Carne; Vital, Mangala, Feltes; De Pina, Holsgrove, Fernandes, Araujo; Guitane, Marques, Cassiano

Chaves possible starting lineup:
Nascimento; Nogueira, Vitoria, Cruz; Carraca, Pedro, Nwakali, Langa; Hernandez, Jo, Sanca

We say: Estoril Praia 2-1 Chaves

We anticipate a tight and entertaining encounter at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, given the stakes at the bottom end of the Primeira Liga table with crucial ground to be gained in the fight to move clear of the drop zone.

While Chaves will certainly cause them problems going forward, Estoril Praia do have enough to prevail on home turf, and we fancy them to take all three points.


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