The battle for survival continues in round 29 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga as Estrela Amadora and SC Farense go head to head at the Estadio Jose Gomes on Sunday.
Having failed to win each of the last six meetings between the two teams, the Tricolores will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visiting side and secure their first home win of the year.
Match preview
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Estrela Amadora picked up a huge result in their quest to beat the drop as they snatched a 1-0 victory over Nacional when the sides squared off at the Estadio da Madeira last Sunday.
Following a goalless first half, Cape Verde international Jovane Cabral broke the deadlock seven minutes after his introduction to hand the visitors a late lead and leave Nacional empty handed.
This was a much-needed result for Estrela Anadora, who had failed to win any of their previous five outings, claiming three draws before losing consecutive games against Vitoria de Guimaraes and Sporting Lisbon in March.
Jose Faria's men have won just six of their 28 Primeira Liga matches so far while losing 14 and claiming eight draws to collect 26 points and sit 15th in the league table, level on points with 14th-placed Gil Vicente and three points above the relegation playoff spot.
While Estrela will look to continue from where they left off against Nacional and pull clear of the danger zone, next up is the challenge of an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in their last six meetings, losing three and claiming three draws since a 3-1 victory in August 2021.
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On the other hand, Farense dropped two more points in their battle for survival as they were held to a goalless draw by Casa Pia when the two sides met at the Estadio de Sao Luis on Monday.
With clear-cut scoring opportunities at a premium, the biggest chance of the game fell to Yusupha Njie right on the stroke of half time but they failed to hit the target from close range, with a draw being a fair result upon reflection.
With that result, Farense have now gone 14 straight matches without a win across all competitions, picking up four draws and losing eight, including a 3-1 defeat against Benfica in the Taca de Portugal on January 14.
This dire run of results has seen Toze Marreco's men plunge into 17th place in the Primeira Liga standings, having picked up just 18 points from their 28 games so far, only above rock-bottom Boavista on goal difference and five points off AVS in the playoff spot.
Farense's underwhelming campaign has been owing to their lack of firepower up top, where they have netted the joint-fewest number of goals in the league (19) while shipping 40 at the opposite end of the pitch.
While the Leoes de Faro will look to secure maximum points this weekend and launch their bid to salvage the season, they will need to show their mettle at the Estadio Jose Gomes as they have won just one of their 14 away games in the league this season.
Team News
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Estrela will once again have to cope without the experience of 35-year-old defender Ruben Lima, who is suspended after picking up a straight red card against Sporting Lisbon on March 29.
On the injury front, the Tricolores will take to the pitch without the defensive duo of Miguel Lopes and 20-year-old Juan Mina as they continue their spells on the sidelines.
Off the back of a solid defensive display against Nacional, Faria could name an unchanged back three of Nilton Varela, Issiar Drame and Renato Pantalon, with 29-year-old Joao Costa starting between the sticks once again.
As for Farense, Marreco will be unable to name Brazilian defender Lucas Africo, who is currently suspended after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Casa Pia last time out.
Marco Moreno has missed each of the last two matches and is a major doubt to the Leoes de Faro while 25-year-old forward Balde Elves has been sidelined through a thigh problem.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Costa; Varela, Drame, Pantalon; Travassos, Idrissi, Moreira, Cordeiro; Kikas, Pinho, Cabral
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Jorge, Ribeiro, Falcao; Pastor, Menino, Neto, Victor; Njie, Tomane, Lopes
We say: Estrela Amadora 2-0 SC Farense
Buoyed by their hard-fought victory over Nacional, Estrela Amadora will head into the weekend with renewed optimism as they look to close out the season strong and preserve their top-flight status.
While Faria's men have picked up just two points from their last six home games, they take on an out-of-sorts Farense side whose form is currently nothing to write home about and we fancy them to come away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
