Vitoria de Guimaraes will aim to tighten their grip on fifth place when they welcome rock-bottom SC Farense to Estadio D. Afonso Henriques for the penultimate game of the 2024-25 Primeira Liga campaign.
The Conquerors are three points clear of sixth-placed Santa Clara, having accumulated 54 points from 14 wins, 12 draws and six defeats, while the visitors prop up the standings due to an inferior head-to-head record against their fellow strugglers.
Match preview
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Although Vitoria will be unable to match last term's 63-point haul, their sights are firmly set on finishing fifth once again, and that would represent a third consecutive season of European qualification.
Luis Freire's men have certainly picked up form at the right time, stringing together seven wins from their last nine Primeira Liga outings (D1, L1), having previously endured a frustrating spell of just one victory across 11 matches (D8, L2).
Last weekend's 2-1 success at Nacional was a reflection of that resurgence, as the visitors made a fast start with Tiago Silva opening the scoring before Jesus Ramirez's second-half strike put the game beyond reach, despite a late reply from Fuki Yamada.
Os Conquistadores have also made their home ground a fortress in recent weeks, triumphing in five of their last seven top-flight games at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques, while they have kept clean sheets in six of those, with the only exception being a 3-0 reverse against title-chasing Benfica.
With such form on their patch, Vitoria will back themselves to take maximum points against a struggling Farense team, although it is worth noting that the Conquerors have failed to win the last two meetings between the sides.
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As for the visitors, anything short of victory will end their hopes of outright survival, as they sit five points behind 15th-placed Estrela Amadora with just two matches remaining, although a relegation playoff spot remains a realistic target.
Farense are currently locked on 24 points with both Boavista and AVS but sit bottom due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, so even a draw could prove significant before Toze's men host Santa Clara in their final game of the campaign.
The Lions of Faro might take encouragement from recent history, having drawn 1-1 at the Afonso Henriques last season, while this term's reverse fixture also ended all square in a 2-2 thriller.
Last time out, Farense showed real spirit to come from behind and beat Famalicao 2-1 at Estadio de Sao Luis, with Dario Poveda netting an injury-time winner that breathed fresh hope into their survival mission.
That result ended a run of back-to-back losses, including a 1-0 loss at Gil Vicente in their most recent top-flight trip, but Toze's side have been stubborn travellers of late, avoiding defeat in nine of their last 11 away matches (W2, D7, L2).
Team News
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Telmo Arcanjo may be enjoying a purple patch in the top flight, but he is set to sit this one out for Vitoria after reaching the yellow card threshold, paving the way for Vando Felix to step into midfield.
T. Silva is in the same boat and will also miss Sunday's clash through suspension, which should hand Nuno Santos a start, while Umaro Embalo remains ineligible to feature.
Ramírez finally brought a five-month goal drought to an end when he doubled the lead in their previous outing, and that timely strike should be enough to keep him spearheading the attack.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Samu faces a race against time to prove his fitness, with a late check scheduled to determine his involvement.
As for the visitors, Ze Carlos is ruled out as he is not permitted to face his parent club, and with Filipe Soares also suspended after collecting one yellow too many, Claudio Falcao and Neto are likely to form the midfield duo.
Derick Poloni is expected to line up at right-back in place of Pastor, who is also unavailable after his booking against Famalicao triggered a one-match ban.
Poveda's decisive goal last time out should see him get the nod in attack from the outset, potentially edging Tomane out of the starting lineup.
Elves Balde and Ricardo Velho remain sidelined through injury, while Marcos Moreno is facing a late assessment ahead of the trip.
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Mendes, Villanueva, Borevkovic, Maga; Handel, Santos, Mendes; G. Silva, Ramírez, Felix
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Kaique; Poloni, Ribeiro, Moreno, Victor; Njie, Falcao, Neto, Lopes; Poveda, Costa
We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 1-0 SC Farense
Farense may have found resilience on the road, but they are up against a Vitoria side that have been ruthless at home and carry real momentum into this one.
With the visitors struggling in front of goal and ranking as the joint-lowest scorers in the division, the hosts' defensive solidity could once again prove the difference in a narrow victory.
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Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
