Moreirense welcome Benfica to the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on Sunday, with both sides looking to build on consecutive wins.

The hosts beat strugglers Farense away from home on Monday, while Benfica recorded a 3-1 victory over Estoril Praia in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie on Thursday evening.

Match preview

Moreirense recorded their second consecutive league win last time out, beating Farense 2-1 at the Estadio de Sao Luis.

They looked set to see out a comfortable 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Yan and Rafael Martins, before Pedro Henrique scored deep into added time to see the game finish 2-1.

That followed another away win for Vasco Seabra's side, who previously beat Famalicao on the road, thanks to another Yan strike, as well as an early own goal by Riccieli.

Those two wins have seen Moreirense strengthen their position in the top eight of the Primeira Liga table, currently sitting three points ahead of ninth-placed Nacional.

Meanwhile, Seabra's men sit just one point behind seventh-placed Santa Clara, which will be encouraging for Os Verdes e Brancos, as a win could see them overtake Daniel Ramos's side.

However, that will be no easy task for the team from Guimaraes, as they take on Benfica, who look to be returning to form.

Last time out, Jorge Jesus's side travelled to second-tier outfit Estoril in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie, with the visitors winning 3-1.

Andre Vidigal gave the Segunda Liga side the lead in the first half, before a Darwin Nunez brace and a powerful Haris Seferovic finish turned the game on its head.

Before that game, As Aguias got back to winning ways in the Primeira Liga, when they beat Famalicao 2-0 at home.

Goals inside the first 10 minutes through Nunez and Nicolas Otamendi sealed an important win for Jesus's side at the Estadio Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

That result put an end to a run of four league matches without a win, which saw them slip down to fourth in the table, after they picked up just three points from a possible 12.

Jesus will be desperate to put that run behind them, and make it three wins in a row in all competitions with a victory in this game, as they look to gain back the ground that they lost on the division's top two sides.

Moreirense Primeira Liga form: DWDLWW
Moreirense form (all competitions): LWDLWW

Benfica Primeira Liga form: WDDLDW
Benfica form (all competitions): DWLDWW

Team News

The hosts are faced with several absentees for this game, with midfielder Goncalo Franco remaining out of contention after testing positive for coronavirus, while Pedro Nuno and Sori Mane both continue spells out with injuries.

Their issues are further amplified by the suspensions of experienced players, with centre-back Steven Vitoria and midfielder Alex Soares both reaching five yellow cards in the win over Farense.

As a result, Filipe Soares may be called upon to start in midfield, while we expect Manchester City loanee Nahuel Ferraresi to come in for Vitoria at the back.

Meanwhile, Benfica remain without several important players through injury, including attacker Luca Waldschmidt, who continues his spell on the sidelines with a foot injury, having recorded six goals and two assists in the league so far this season.

In his absence, record signing Darwin Nunez has grown in confidence, netting three goals in his last two games, and registering four goals and seven assists in the Primeira Liga this campaign.

They also remain without experienced defender Jardel, who is out with a thigh strain.

However, they remain a strong defensive outfit, with Nicolas Otamendi and Jan Vertonghen forming one of the league's best centre-back pairings.

Moreirense possible starting lineup:
Pasinato; Ferraresi, Rosic, Ba; D'Alberto, Soares, Pacheco, Camara, Conte; Walterson, Yan

Benfica possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Everton, Weigl, Taarabt, Cervi; Seferovic, Nunez

We say: Moreirense 0-2 Benfica

We can see As Aguias continuing their return to form with another win in this game, seeing off a resilient Moreirense outfit.

While the hosts will have some confidence of their own coming into this match, we expect them to fall just short against Jesus's side, with the dangerous pairing of Seferovic and Nunez causing Seabra's side major problems.

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