Preview: Alverca vs Casa Pia - prediction, team news, lineups

Casa Pia will be looking to climb out of the relegation zone and take a huge step towards survival when they take on Alverca at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca in round 29 of the Portsmouth Primeira Liga on Sunday.

Fresh off the back of securing their first win since mid-January, O maior do Ribatejo will head into the weekend looking to put together a strong late-season form as they eye a top-half finish.

Match preview

Back in the Portuguese top flight for the first time since going down over 20 years ago, Alverca were expected to find the going tough, but the Vila Franca de Xira outfit have held their own in the big leagues and are in the mix for a top-half finish.

Custodio Castro's men turned in a solid team display last Saturday as they picked up a 2-1 victory over Rio Ave when the two sides squared off at the Estadio dos Arcos.

Figueredo and Sandro Lima netted in a 16-minute spell to put Alverca in the driver's seat heading into half time, and after Jalen Blesa pulled one back for Rio Ave in the 59th minute, the visitors held on to claim all three points.

This came as a timely boost for O maior do Ribatejo, who had failed to taste victory in any of their previous nine matches, losing three and picking up six draws, their longest run of consecutive games without a win.

Alverca have won eight of their 28 Primeira Liga matches this season, while losing 12 and claiming eight draws to collect 32 points and sit 11th in the league standings, level on points with Arouca and three points off eighth-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes.

On the other hand, Casa Pia turned in a resilient team display last Monday when they fought back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Benfica at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior.

With nothing to separate the two teams at half time, Richard Rios broke the deadlock in the 68th minute to put Benfica in front, but Rafael Brito hit back for the home side 10 minutes later to force a share of the spoils.

While the result against Benfica saw Casa Pia drop two more points and extend their winless run to five matches, head coach Alvaro Pacheco will hope his side's dogged display against the 38-time champions can inspire a turn in fortunes heading into the run-in.

Less than a year on from an impressive ninth-placed finish in the 2024-25 campaign, Os Gansos find themselves in the mix to go down this season, as they sit 16th in the league table, five points above Tondela in the automatic relegation places.

While victory this weekend could see Casa Pia surge from the danger zone and move level on points with 13th-placed Santa Clara, results on the road offer little optimism, with Pacheco's men failing to win their last six away matches, claiming just two points from the last 18 available.

Alverca Primeira Liga form:

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Alverca remain without several players down the spine of the team, as the likes of Leo Chu (knee), Stephane Diarra (muscle) and Spanish midfielder Tomas Mendes (muscle) continue their spells on the sidelines.

Portuguese defender Francisco Chissumba is set to sit out his seventh straight game since coming off injured against Tondela on February 13, while Sabit Abdulai continues his spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in January.

As for Casa Pia, Ghanaian midfielder Lawrence Ofori has missed the last four matches through a muscle problem, while Kiki Silva continues his long road to full recovery from a knee injury.

They are joined on the club's injury table by Angolan goalkeeper Ricardo Batista, who has been ruled out since sustaining an injury in February, while 24-year-old forward Xander Severina is also out of contention for Os Gansos.

Brito was forced off injured midway through the game against Benfica last time out, and should the Portuguese midfielder fail to shake off the injury, Jose Marques could be given the nod at the centre of the park.

Alverca possible starting lineup:

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

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Sequeira; Goulart, Geraldes, Sousa; Larrazabal, Mohamed, Brito, Rosas; Livolant, Cassiano, Morais

We say: Alverca 1-1 Casa Pia

While Alverca sit seven points clear of the danger zone, Casa Pia know this weekend’s result could be crucial in shaping their survival ambition.

Castro's men head into Sunday in high spirits following their triumph over Rio Ave last time out, but we predict Casa Pia will do just enough to force a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.