Friday's Primeira Liga action pits second-bottom SC Farense against bottom-placed Boavista in the gameweek 30 clash at Estadio de Sao Luis.
A victory for the hosts in this crucial relegation match could lift them out of the dreaded automatic relegation spots, while the visitors, under new management, hope to level the playing field by defeating their opponents for the first time since 2002.
Match preview
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Fresh off a timely victory over Estrela on Sunday, Farense return to top-flight action aiming to achieve consecutive wins for the first time in nearly 12 months.
The Lions of Faro notched a decisive 3-0 victory at Estrela and had previously beaten Estoril 3-2, breaking a drought of back-to-back wins, and they hope to replicate this success this weekend.
Claiming Sunday's 1-0 win marked Farense's first victory of 2025, ending a four-month wait since their last win over Famalicao 2-1 before Christmas, which spanned 13 matches.
Having recorded consecutive clean sheets — the 1-0 triumph at Estrela followed a goalless draw with Casa Pia — a solid defence may be just what they need to overcome the relegation battle.
Securing four points from the last six available leaves Toze Marreco's men just two points shy of AVS, currently in the relegation playoff spot, and they could leapfrog that side in 16th if they win while the team above them falters against mid-table Casa Pia.
However, this outcome depends on Toze's team securing a home victory for the first time since November, ending an eight-match winless streak on their turf.
Notably, Leoes de Faro's struggle to win at home has stemmed from a lack of goals, with Farense failing to score in six of those winless games, and Boavista will look to exploit this weakness.
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In the hopes of benefitting from a late-season managerial change, the Chequered Ones appointed Stuart Baxter on Sunday following Jorge Couto's caretaker stint, with the aim of concluding the season strongly under the Scot's guidance.
Although Boavista celebrated maximum points in their most recent away game against Rio Ave, the Porto-based club could not build on that positive result, suffering a 1-0 defeat at home to Nacional, leaving them at the bottom of the Portuguese top flight with five games left.
Their 2-0 victory over Rio Ave ended a six-match losing streak on the road and a seven-match winless streak away from home, and Boavista head into Friday's game seeking consecutive Liga victories on the road for the first time since the 2023 season when they defeated Portimonense (4-1) and Estoril (2-1).
Having finished 15th last season, the Panthers were likely to face another relegation battle, a prediction confirmed by their current position at the bottom of the top flight.
Since their return to the top tier in 2014, Boavista are now in serious danger of relegation unless Baxter secures immediate results in the closing weeks of the season.
They sit three points behind Friday's hosts and six behind AVS in the relegation zone, emphasising the uphill struggle facing a club that have not claimed consecutive wins in the league since September 2023, which may be crucial for their survival.
Compounding their troubles, the bottom-placed club are eight points adrift of safety and have struggled against Farense, recording four losses and a draw since 2020.
Unless Boavista can secure their first win over the Lions of Faro since 2002, another disappointment in Baxter's debut match could push the Panthers further toward an embarrassing exit from the Primeira Liga.
Team News
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Elves Balde and Marco Moreno's muscle injuries will be assessed before Farense host Boavista on Friday.
Tomane last found the net in the 2-2 draw against Arouca in late February, earning a point in the 89th minute, and the forward aims to increase his tally of three Liga goals to end a six-match drought without scoring.
Suspended for Boavista are Ibrahima and Robert Bozenik, while Joao Goncalves, Luis Pires, Marco Ribeiro and Tomas Silva are likely out for the remainder of the season due to varying knee injuries.
With joint-top scorer Bozenik (four goals) unavailable, the away side will look to Miguel Reisinho (four) and Ilija Vukotic (three) to take on more attacking responsibilities.
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Kaique; Pastor, Falcao, Ribeiro, Poloni; Lopes, Neto, Menino, Victor; Tomane, Costa
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Agra, Fogning, Lystsov, Abascal, Ferreira; Silva, Vukotic, Perez, Diaby; Kone
We say: SC Farense 0-0 Boavista
Despite Farense's five-match unbeaten run in this fixture (four wins), predicting Friday's outcome is challenging due to the Lions of Faro's inability to score in five consecutive Liga games at home, alongside Boavista's failure to find the net in five of their last eight away games.
Consequently, the match may end in a draw in a low-scoring affair in Faro.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
