Rio Ave vs. Nacional (Friday, 5.00pm)
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Rio Ave host Nacional in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Friday afternoon, with both teams aiming to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three.
Miguel Cardoso's men were defeated 2-0 by second-placed Porto last time out, while the visitors secured an important victory over relegation rivals Famalicao.
We say: Rio Ave 1-1 Nacional
This is going to be a tight game of few chances, given how much is at stake for the two teams. Nacional will be carrying the momentum into the match and will be confident of getting a result, but we fancy Rio Ave to hold their ground and snatch a point on home soil as they settle for a point apiece.
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Benfica vs. Guimaraes (Friday, 7.00pm)
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Benfica welcome Vitoria de Guimaraes to the Estadio da Luz on Friday evening as the hosts look to end their three-game winless run in the league.
Joao Henriques's men, on the other hand, are in fine form. The visitors have won three consecutive matches and could move to within a point of the Eagles if they secure a victory in the capital.
We say: Benfica 1-1 Vitoria de Guimaraes
This should be a tight contest between two teams in contrasting form. Another defeat could be fatal for Jesus, but with his Benfica team seriously struggling of late, we fancy Guimaraes to come away with a share of the spoils.
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Maritimo vs. Sporting Lisbon (Friday, 7.00pm)
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Sporting Lisbon travel to Maritimo on Friday evening, looking for a third consecutive league win to strengthen their position at the top of the Primeira Liga table.
They secured a hugely important victory last time out, defeating title rivals Benfica 1-0 thanks to an added-time winner, while Maritimo will be looking for a reaction after three consecutive losses in all competitions.
We say: Maritimo 0-3 Sporting Lisbon
We cannot see Maritimo putting an end to Sporting's rich vein of form in this clash, and see a fairly comfortable win for the visitors.
We expect Paulinho to hit the ground running with his new club, getting on the scoresheet alongside the prolific Goncalves, while the solid defence of Amorim's side should be able to keep another clean sheet.
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Pacos de Ferreira vs. Tondela (Friday, 9.00pm)
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Pacos de Ferreira host Tondela on Friday evening, with the hosts on the hunt for a sixth consecutive league win to increase the pressure on Benfica, who sit two points ahead in fourth place in the Primeira Liga table.
Meanwhile, Tondela will be hoping to carry on their own good run of form, which has seen them rise up to ninth in the top flight.
We say: Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 Tondela
While Tondela will come into this game with some confidence, having won three of their last five league matches, we think the hosts will extend their winning run in this encounter, coming in with huge amounts of momentum.
Pepa's side should take advantage of Tondela's poor defence and we expect them to pick up the three points from this game.
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Boavista vs. Gil Vicente (Friday, 9.00pm)
A key clash takes place at the bottom of the Primeira Liga table on Friday night, as Boavista welcome Gil Vicente to the Estadio do Bessa.
Currently, just one point separates the two sides, with Boavista sitting in the relegation playoff place, one place above Friday's visitors who occupy an automatic relegation spot.
We say: Boavista 1-0 Gil Vicente
This is undoubtedly a game which both sides will see as a great opportunity to pick up a crucial three points, however we see the hosts edging out their opponents in this one, partly down to the poor recent form of the visitors and the renewed confidence of Boavista thanks to their recent win. We expect them to make it two wins on the bounce with a narrow victory here.
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Barney Corkhill
