Preview: Academico de Viseu vs Vitoria de Guimaraes - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh off the back of securing their first win of the campaign, Academico de Viseu play host to Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Municipal do Fontelo in round six of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday.

While the home side will look to keep the ball rolling this weekend, it has been a challenging start to the season for Os Vimaranenses, who will be out to secure a morale-boosting victory and snap a run of four consecutive away defeats in the league.

Match preview

Five matches into their long-awaited return to the Portuguese top flight, Academico Viseu showed character last Sunday when they held on to see out a 1-0 victory over Gil Vicente at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

Despite being on the back foot for most of the game, Joao Guilherme’s fourth-minute strike proved decisive for the visitors as they withstood sustained pressure for much of the game to leave with all three points.

Having made a statement on the opening weekend when they held Benfica to a 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz, Academico Viseu have picked up five points from their first five matches to sit 10th in the Primeira Liga table, with early signs indicating the Viseu outfit have what it takes to hold their own in the big leagues.

Bruno Pinheiro’s men are back in the Primeira Liga after a 37-year absence, having finished second in the Segunda Liga standings last season with 59 points from 34 matches, beating third-placed Torrense on goal difference to clinch automatic promotion.

On the other hand, Vitoria de Guimaraes were guilty of a wasteful display in front of goal last Sunday as they played out a goalless draw with Casa Pia when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

Despite seeing 74% of the ball possession and taking 22 more shots than Casa Pia, the home side squander as many as four clear-cut chances, leaving head coach Tiago Margarido with much to worry about at the attacking end of the pitch.

Vitoria de Guimaraes have failed to find the back of the net in three of their five league games this season, with only Rio Ave (2), Estoril Praia (2) and rock-bottom Casa Pia (0) scoring fewer than their five goals so far.

Coming off the back of a ninth-placed finish in the league last season, Margarido’s men have lost three and managed one draw so far, with their only win so far coming on August 23, when they held their own to see out a 1-0 victory over Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

While Vitoria will look to shake off last week’s display and bounce back at the Estadio Municipal do Fontelo, their form on the road remains another major cause for concern, with Os Vimaranenses failing to win 10 of their 11 Primeira Liga away matches this year, including four defeats in their four outings since May 4.

Academico de Viseu Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Off the back of a solid team display against Gil Vicente, we expect Pinheiro to name a similar side this weekend, with Cihan Kahraman, Soufiane Messeguem and club captain Luis Silva teaming up at the centre of the park for a third consecutive game.

Having returned to the starting lineup last weekend, Guilherme repaid Pinheiro’s faith in him with an eye-catching display down the right, and the Brazilian forward should retain his role in the XI, forming the front three with Andre Clovis and Alvaro Zamora.

At the opposite end of the pitch, we expect to see the back four of Gu Costa, Nikolaos Michelis, Anthony Correia and 29-year-old Robinho showing goalkeeper Ewerton, who put on a show against Gil Vicente last time out.

Like the home side, Vitoria de Guimaraes head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Margarido the luxury of a full strength squad to select from.

Having made his debut against Casa Pia last weekend after joining from Osijek in the summer window, Austrian striker Arnel Jakupovic could be handed his first start this weekend, with Alioune Ndoye sweating over his role in the XI.

Academico de Viseu possible starting lineup:

Ewerton; Costa, Michelis, Correia; Robinho Silva, Kahraman, Messeguem; Guilherme, Clovis, Zamora

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Zych; Mendes, Balieiro, Sidibe, Strata; Doucet, Mukendi, Samu; Nogueira, Silva, Jakupovic

We say: Academico de Viseu 1-2 Vitoria de Guimaraes

Having secured their first win of the campaign, Academico will head into the weekend in high spirits as they look to keep the juggernaut rolling and quickly strengthen their position in the standings.

With just four points from the first 15 available, it has been a relatively poor start to the campaign for the more experienced visitors, but we predict they will take the positives from their stalemate against Casa Pia last time out and show their upper hand at the Estadio Municipal do Fontelo.

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