A place in the quarter-finals of the Taca de Portugal will be up for grabs when Gil Vicente and Moreirense go head to head at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos on Sunday evening.
The most recent clash between the two teams ended in a pulsating 3-2 victory in favour of Os verdes e brancos, and if we are to go by that encounter, another thrilling encounter could be on the cards this weekend.
Match preview
Gil Vicente were involved in a share of the spoils for a third consecutive game as they opened the new year with a 1-1 stalemate against Rio Ave when the two teams met on Monday.
In an action-packed contest at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, Felix Correia struck eight minutes after the half-hour mark to put the hosts in front but Brandon Aguilera hit back for Rio Ave to force a share of the spoils.
With that result, Gil Vicente have now gone five consecutive games without defeat since December's 4-0 loss against Vitoria de Guimaraes, seeing off Nacional and Farense respectively before playing out three back-to-back stalemates.
Bruno Pinheiro's men, who have picked up 19 points from their 17 Primeira Liga matches to sit 11th in the league table, now turn their focus to the Taca de Portugal, where they have cruised through the opening two rounds, scoring four goals and keeping two clean sheets so far.
Second-half goals from Tidjany Toure and Jorge Aguirre saw Gil Vicente secure a 2-0 victory over Belenenses in the cup opener at the Estadio do Restelo on October 19, three weeks before edging out Campeonato de Portugal outfit Vila Real by the same scoreline.
Like this weekend's host, Moreirense had to settle for a share of the spoils in their opening game of the year as they were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw by AVS at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas last Saturday.
After falling behind to Alan's ninth-minute opener, Spanish midfielder Jaume Grau netted on the stroke of half time to draw AVS level before they turned in a defensive show of class in the second half to see out their fifth straight stalemate.
Prior to that, Moreirense suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Nacional and Porto before holding out for a 2-2 draw against Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in their final outing of 2024 on December 28 to stop the rot.
Os verdes e brancos have now gone four straight matches without a win in the Primeira Liga, a run which has seen them plunge into eighth place in the league standings with 22 points from 17 games, nine points adrift of the European qualifying places.
Moreirense will now look to find their feet in the Taca de Portugal, where they kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over third-tier Uniao Santarem on October 19, four weeks before showing their mettle in the second round with a stunning 2-1 win over 30-time Portuguese champion Porto.
Cesar Peixoto's men will be backing themselves to get the job done this weekend as they journey to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos where they are unbeaten in each of their last five competitive visits, picking up four wins and one draw since a narrow 4-3 defeat in October 2013.
Team News
Gil Vicente remain without the services of South Africa international Sphephelo Sithole, who has been ruled out since sustaining a ligament injury while on international duty against South Sudan in September.
Correia was standout performer in the game against Rio Ave last time out and the former Juventus man, who has seven goal involvements in the league this season, will be one to keep an eye on.
He should lead the Gilistas' attack alongside Jordi Mboula and Spanish striker Jorge Aguirre while Ze Carlos, Josue Sa, Ruben Fernandes and 24-year-old Kazu should form the back four once again.
As for Moreirense, Hernani Infande continues his long road to full fitness after suffering a severe ankle injury in March's game against Arouca and the Portuguese forward is ruled out of Sunday's clash.
Brazilian midfielder Guilherme Liberato has missed the last 15 matches since tearing his knee ligament back in September and the 23-year-old is also out of contention for Os verdes e brancos.
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Ze Carlos, Sa, Fernandes, Kazu; Fujimoto, Gbane, Caseres; Mboula, Aguirre, Correia
Moreirense possible starting lineup:
Kewin; Pinto, Maracas, Marcelo, Frimpong; Ofori, Ismael; Gabrielzinho, Alanzinho, Benny; Schettine
We say: Gil Vicente 2-1 Moreirense
Looking at past meetings between Gil Vicente and Moreirense, we can expect another action-packed contest this weekend with plenty of goalmouth action. While Peixoto's men are unbeaten in their last five visits to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos of late, they have failed to win any of their most recent five away games since late October and we are them struggling here.
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