Preview: Alverca vs Arouca - prediction, team news, lineups

Both level on points in the race for a top-half finish, Alverca and Arouca get round 31 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga underway when they lock horns at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca on Friday.

Having picked up a 1-0 home victory in December’s reverse fixture, Arouca will be out to complete the double over the Alverca do Ribatejo outfit and secure just their second away win since the start of February.

Match preview

Having picked up back-to-back victories in their first two games in April, Alverca were guilty of a lack of cutting edge in attack last Saturday, when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of relegation-battling Nacional at the Estadio do Dragao.

Off the back of scoring five goals in their previous two outings, the visitors failed to threaten Kaique between the sticks for Nacional, with Jesus Ramirez netting the all-important goal in the 67th minute to send the Alvinegros two points above the bottom three.

Another forgettable display has compounded Alverca’s away woes, extending a poor run which has seen them fail to win eight of their nine matches on the road since the start of December, losing five and claiming three draws while conceding 18 goals and scoring eight across the nine games.

With home comfort awaiting, Custodio Castro’s men will be backing themselves to bounce back this weekend, having gone unbeaten in eight of their 10 games at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca since the start of November — with defeats coming only against title contenders Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

On the other hand, Arouca continued their strong late-season form last Sunday as they held on to see out a 1-0 victory over Estrela Amadora when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.

With nothing to separate the two teams at half time, club captain Tiago Esgaio broke the deadlock with a rebound from close range shortly after the interval to inspire the Arouquenses to a fourth win in five home games.

This came just one week on from a narrow 1-0 defeat against Braga at the Estadio Municipal de Braga, when Pau Victor struck in the 66th minute to hand Os Arcebispos all three points and end their run of two consecutive league victories.

While a win on Friday could see Vasco Seabra’s men climb into the top half of the Primeira Liga table, they have struggled to impose themselves on the road, with a return of just three points from their last five matches leaving them with another stern challenge in Alverca do Ribatejo.

Arouca have picked up 35 points from their 30 Primeira Liga games so far to sit 11th in the league standings, level on points with this weekend’s hosts and four points off seventh-placed Moreirense heading into the final four matches.

Alverca Primeira Liga form:

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Alverca’s injury crisis has shown little signs of easing, as Stephane Diarra (muscle), 26-year-old Sabit Abdulai (ACL) and Spanish midfielder Tomas Mendes all continue their spells on the sidelines.

Honduran defender Julian Martinez has missed the last four matches and is also out of contention for the hosts, while Francisco Chissumba has been ruled out since coming off injured against Tondela in February.

As for Arouca, Uruguayan striker Dylan Nandin is set to sit out his fourth consecutive game since sustaining an injury in the win over Moreirense on March 21.

Portuguese goalkeeper Joao Valido is also ruled out of the trip to Alverca do Ribatejo, having missed the last two matches, while Javier Sanchez is currently suspended due to accumulated number of yellow cards.

Following their solid defensive display against Estrela, we expect Seabra to name an unchanged back four this weekend, with Esgaio, Jose Silva, Jose Fontan and Bas Kuipers shielding Ignacio de Arruabarrena between the sticks.

Alverca possible starting lineup:

Mateus; Naves, Gomez, Meupiyou; Touaizi, Rhaldney, Lincoln, James; Figueiredo, Lima, Chiquinho

Arouca possible starting lineup:

Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Silva, Fontan, Kuipers; Fukui, Van Ee; Gozalbez, Lee, Djouahra; Barbero

We say: Alverca 1-1 Arouca

With Alverta and Arouca aiming for a top-half finish, we expect both sides to take the game to each other at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca in search of maximum points. Arouca boasts a superior squad on paper, but Castro’s men have made their home patch a tough ground for visiting sides since the turn of the year and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils.

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