Nacional will look to take a giant stride towards securing their safety in the Primeira Liga when they visit the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas to face Moreirense on Sunday.
Os verdes e brancos head into the weekend unbeaten in each of their last seven home matches against Tiago Margarido's men and will be looking to extend this impressive decade-long streak.
Match preview
© Imago
Moreirense continue to struggle for results in the season's run-in as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against title-chasing Sporting Lisbon when the two sides met at the Estadio Jose Alvalade last Friday.
Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres turned in another performance of the highest quality as he netted a 52-minute hat-trick to put Sporting Lisbon in a commanding lead before Cedric Teguia pulled one back with a 56th-minute strike.
This followed a 2-0 loss against Rio Ave at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on April 13, a result which saw their run of five back-to-back takes without defeat in the league come to an end.
Moreirense have lost 13 of their 30 Primeira Liga matches so far while claiming nine wins and eight draws to collect 35 points and sit 10th in the league standings, four points off Estoril Praia in the top half of the table with four games to go.
Cristiano Bacci's men will be backing themselves to find their feet this weekend as they take on an opposing side who have failed to win their last seven trips to Moreira de Conegos, losing five and claiming two draws since scraping a 3-2 victory in January 2015.
© Imago
Nacional, on the other hand, were denied back-to-back wins for the first time since January as they suffered a 3-0 hammering against Gil Vicente at the Estadio da Madeira last Saturday.
Despite seeing less than 40% of the ball possession, Gil Vicente were rewarded for their ruthless display in front of goal as a brace from Felix Correia and Pablo Felipe's 62nd-minute effort inspired them to three huge points in the battle for survival.
Prior to that, Nacional snapped their run of two back-to-back defeats on April 12, when they secured a 1-0 victory over Boavista at the Estadio do Bessa thanks to a first-half strike from 31-year-old Joel Tagueu.
Having gained promotion from the second tier last season, Margarido's men have picked up 32 points from their 30 Primeira Liga matches so far to sit 13th in the league standings, eight points above the dotted line heading into the final four matches.
While Nacional could seal their safety in the top flight next season this weekend, they have struggled to get going on their travels, where they are on a run of just two wins from their 17 games this season and hold the division's joint-poorest point tally so far (9).
Team News
© Imago
Moreirense remain without the services of Portuguese forward Hernani Infande, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a ligament injury against Arouca back in March 2024.
He is joined on the Os verdes e brancos' injury table by 23-year-old midfielder Guilherme Liberato, who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury last August.
As for Nacional, 27-year-old goalkeeper Rui Encarnacao will sit out this weekend's clash due to suspension after picking up a red card while on the bench against Gil Vicente last time out.
On the injury front, Spanish midfielder Miguel Baeza has been sidelined since October through a severe muscle injury and the 25-year-old is out of contention for the trip to the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas.
Moreirense possible starting lineup:
Kewin; Pinto, Maracas, Marcelo, Frimpong; Tavares, Ofori; Benny, Alanzinho, Teguia; Maranhao
Nacional possible starting lineup:
Franca; Garcia, Ulisses, Ze Vitor, Gomes; Soumare, Penha; Yamada, Esteves, Boia; Tagueu
We say: Moreirense 2-1 Nacional
Having suffered a 1-0 loss against Nacional in December's reverse fixture, ending a 12-game unbeaten run between the two sides in the process, Moreirense will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors.
While Nacional will be looking to find their feet this weekend, results on the road offer little optimism and we fancy Bacci's side to secure all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
