Preview: Tondela vs. Nacional - prediction, team news, lineups

Nacional will be looking to bring an end to their nine-game losing streak when they face Tondela at the Estadio Joao Cardoso on Thursday afternoon.

The visitors are bottom of the Primeira Liga standings and are running out of time to avoid relegation, whereas their opponents are jostling for position in mid-table.

Match preview

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Nacional's terrible run of form continued with a 1-0 loss at reigning champions Porto on Sunday, with Mehdi Taremi scoring the only goal in that contest.

While that was not the worst result on the face of it for the White and Black, it was part of a sequence of successive defeats that stretches back to early February.

With no points collected from the last 27 on offer, Nacional are at risk of being cut adrift at the foot of the division with only seven games to rescue themselves.

Manuel Machado's men enter the midweek round of games six points from safety, though there is just a three-point gap between themselves and Maritimo in the relegation playoff spot.

Avoiding an immediate return to the second tier is by no means a formality at this point, then, but Nacional desperately need to start putting some points on the board.

With two more members of the top three still to come, this trip to a Tondela side with little to play for on the face of it presents a great opportunity to do exactly that.

The Gold and Greens raced three goals ahead inside the opening 12 minutes at Moreirense last time out, only to find themselves hanging on for a 3-2 victory.

That made it two wins in their last three games, either side of a 2-0 loss against Porto, leaving Tondela positioned 10th in the division.

Pako Ayestaran's side are seven points above the relegation playoff spot and the same number of points off a European berth.

Having lost back-to-back matches on home soil, Ayestaran will be eager for his side to respond here against the division's bottom side.

Team News

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Joao Pedro picked up a fifth booking of the season in the narrow win against Moreirense and will therefore serve an automatic one-match ban on Thursday.

That leaves a gap to be filled in central midfield, with Joao Jaquite the most likely candidate to come into the side.

Mario Gonzalez scored all three of Nacional's goals at the weekend, taking his tally for the season to 12 in 20 league appearances, and will once again lead the line here.

As for Nacional, they are sweating on the fitness of Chico Ramos, Witi and Vincent Koziello, while Daniel Martins Guimaraes may also miss out.

On the back of their latest defeat, Machado may be tempted to freshen things up by recalling the likes of Kalindi, Joao Vigario, Nuno Borges and Bryan Rochez.

Tondela possible starting lineup:
Trigueira; Bebeto, Alves, Tavares, Ferreira; Jaquite, Olabe, Grau; Murillo, Gonzalez, Agra

Nacional possible starting lineup:
Piscitelli; Kalindi, Kal, Correia, Cesar, Vigario; Riascos, Borges, Bessa, Camacho; Rochez

We say: Tondela 2-0 Nacional

Tondela have lost back-to-back matches on home soil and have little left to play for this season on the face of it.

However, Nacional have lost nine games in a row and this presents the hosts with a good chance to climb into the top half of the division, one which we expect them to take full advantage of.