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

Alverca will be out to secure consecutive wins for just the second time this season when they go head to head with Nacional in round 13 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.

The Alvinegros, meanwhile, journey to the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca without a win in their last five matches across all competitions and will be looking to end this dry spell.

Match preview

Alverca moved into the top half of the Primeira Liga standings last Saturday as they secured a 2-0 victory over Casa Pia when the two teams squared off at the Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior.

In a game where Patrick Sequeira received his marching orders, Alverca made the most of their numerical advantage, with Lincoln and Marko Milovanovic netting in the final 15 minutes to hand Casa Pia their seventh league defeat of the season.

This was a much-needed result for Custodio Castro’s men, who had failed to win their previous five matches, claiming one draw and losing five, including a penalty-shootout defeat against second-tier Uniao de Leiria in the Taca de Portugal third round on October 18.

Making their return to the Portuguese top flight for the first time in 21 years, Alverca can take pride in their performance this season as they sit ninth in the league table with 14 points from 12 games, two points and four places above this weekend’s visitors.

On the other hand, Nacional’s home woes continued last weekend when they fell to a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat against Benfica after conceding twice in the final six minutes at the Estadio da Madeira.

Following a goalless first half, Jesus Ramirez broke the deadlock right on the hour mark to put Nacional on course for their first league win since October 4, but Gianluca Prestianni hit back for Benfica in the 89th minute before Vangelis Pavlidis turned the game on its head with a 95th-minute strike.

With that result, Nacional have now lost five of their six games at the Estadio da Madeira this season, conceding 13 goals and scoring six across the six matches, with a narrow 3-2 victory over 10-man Moreirense on October 4 being the exception.

While Tiago Margarido’s men have struggled to impose themselves on home turf, they have held their own on enemy grounds this season, claiming three wins and three draws in their eight away matches, and will be backing themselves to bounce back this weekend.

Nacional are on a run of five consecutive games without a win across all competitions, but they could steady the ship in the coming weeks as they are set for back-to-back league clashes against newly-promoted sides.

Alverca Primeira Liga form:

Alverca form (all competitions):

Nacional Primeira Liga form:

Nacional form (all competitions):

Team News

Alverca will take to the pitch without the services of Portuguese forward Chiquinho, who has been sidelined since sustaining a severe injury against Benfica back in August.

Summer signing Leo Chu is yet to feature for Alverca since joining from MLS side FC Dallas due to a severe injury, and the Brazilian striker will also play no part in this weekend’s matchup.

Spanish midfielder Tomas Mendes has been ruled out since coming off injured against AVS in October, while Stephane Diarra is also set to sit out his sixth straight game through injury.

Nacional have their fair share of injury concerns, as the defensive duo of Ivanildo Fernandes and 26-year-old Ulisses continue their spells on the sidelines.

Brazilian striker Pablo Ruan has missed each of the last four games since sustaining an injury against Estoril Praia on October 26, and the 22-year-old is also out of contention for the visitors.

Alverca possible starting lineup:

Gomes; Naves, Gomez, Meupiyou; Touaizi, Abdulai, Amorim, Chissumba; Lincoln, Lima, Nuozzi

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Nunez, Ze Vitor, Santos, Gomes; Baeza, Dias, Liziero; Boia, Ramirez, Nourani

We say: Alverca 2-1 Nacional

Fresh off the back of ending a five-game winless run, Alverca will head into the weekend in high spirits as they look to strengthen their position in the top half of the table.

Nacional boast a more experienced and slightly superior squad on paper, but home advantage gives Alverca an edge here and we are backing them to come away with all three points, albeit by the odd goal.

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