Two teams with contrasting form meet on Saturday, as Belenenses travel to struggling Maritimo in pursuit of their third win of the season.
Belenenses come into this fixture having beaten Braga at home earlier in the month, 2-1, while Maritimo suffered their third straight defeat to Farense by the same scoreline.
Match preview
Club caretaker Milton Mendes's men will be desperate to turn the tide on Saturday, having experienced five defeats in their last six matches, conceding 10 goals in that time.
The only result that can be labeled as a positive was the 0-0 draw at home with Nacional, however they still failed to convert any of their 15 shots on goal at Estadio dos Barreiros.
This will be a cause for concern for Mendes; such is their growing dependence on striker Rodrigo Pinho, who was named 'forward of the month' by Primeira Liga coaches last week, after netting seven goals in nine games this season.
If Pinho can continue his rich vein of form, and others can chip in with the odd goal here and there, Mendes will know that a few good results will be enough to lift his side away from the bottom of the table
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Belenenses manager Petit comes into this match knowing that his side have proved how hard they are to beat, and to an extent, showing the characteristics that he did as a player.
In the first nine games of this season, though, Petit's side have only managed two wins - one of which came last time out against Braga - while also notching five draws in that time.
Belenenses' stubbornness has been rewarded with a league standing of eighth, seven points adrift of the European qualifying places, but only four points clear of the relegation zone.
Aside from the 2018 season, when they finished ninth, Belenenses have regularly been finishing in the bottom half of the table, and Petit will be hoping to set that record straight with a top-half finish.
Maritimo Primeira Liga form: LLDLLL
Maritimo form (all competitions): LDLWLL
Belenenses Primeira Liga form: DLDDDW
Belenenses form (all competitions): LDDWDW
Team News
Ali Alipour is expected to feature on the right flank given Felicio Milson's absence through suspension, while Ruben Macedo will miss out through injury.
Zainadine Junior, on the other hand, is available and will likely feature at the heart of the defence, replacing the injured Lucas Africo.
Mendes opted for a 4-3-3 formation against SC Farense and will likely stick with the same system.
For Petit, Mateo Cassierra, Stanislav Kritsyuk and Afonso Taira are doubts for Saturday's match, while Chima Akas, Nilton Varela and Goncalo Silva all remain injured.
Pedro Henrique and Caue Cecilio will contend for a starting spot in midfield, although Petit may opt for the more combative Sphephelo Sithole.
Afonso Sousa will be pushing for a start after netting a wonderful goal against Braga.
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Abedzadeh; Winck, Andrade, Junior, Rene, China; Macedo, Bambock, Pelagio, Costa; Pinho
Belenenses possible starting lineup:
Kritsyuk; Phete, Henrique, Ribeiro; Esgaio, Edgar, Caue, Lima; S Varela, Cardoso, Sousa
We say: Maritimo 1-1 Belenenses
We expect to see a tight encounter on Saturday, with both of these sides playing with caution in recent weeks. As the game progresses, it could open up, but we expect Maritimo to put in a shift and take away a point.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Maritimo win with a probability of 36.74%. A win for Belenenses had a probability of 34.23% and a draw had a probability of 29%.
The most likely scoreline for a Maritimo win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.57%) and 2-0 (7%). The likeliest Belenenses win was 0-1 (11.83%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.38%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Maritimo in this match.
