Preview: Casa Pia vs Vitoria de Guimaraes - prediction, team news, lineups

Casa Pia and Vitoria de Guimaraes are in action for the first time post-Christmas when they go head-to-head at the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior in round 16 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.

Having recently crawled out of the bottom three, Os Gansos will be looking to put together a run of results and pull clear of the danger zone, while the visitors will be out to find their feet, having lost their last two outings.

Match preview

After weeks of mediocre results, Casa Pia gave their fans an early Christmas gift last Sunday when they fought back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Tondela at the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Following a goalless first half, Ivan Cavaleiro converted his 58th-minute penalty to leave the visitors staring down at another defeat, but an inspired Gaizka Larrazabal netted the equaliser in the 62nd minute before setting up Renato Nhaga’s 70th-minute winner to turn the game on its head.

This was a much-needed respite for Casa Pia, who were dumped out of the Taca de Portugal just four days prior, when they fell to a 2-1 loss against Segunda Liga outfit Torrense in the round of 16, and had failed to win their previous nine Primeira Liga matches, losing five and claiming four draws.

Goncalo Brandao’s men have won three of their 15 league games so far, losing eight and claiming four draws, to collect 13 points and sit 15th in the standings, level on points with 16th-placed Arouca, but they could move level with 12th-placed Nacional with a win this weekend.

However, with all three league victories coming on their travels, Casa Pia are one of just three sides yet to taste victory on home turf and will need to be at their best this weekend as they look to pull clear of the dotted line.

Vitoria de Guimaraes, on the other hand, failed to bounce back from their cup heartbreak on Tuesday when they fell to a 4-1 defeat against title challengers Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

In a game where Nelson Oliveira received his marching orders, strikes from Francisco Trincao, Fotis Ioannidis, Maximiliano Araujo and an own goal from goalkeeper Juan Castillo saw Sporting Lisbon cruise to their 12th league victory.

This came just six days after Vitoria de Guimaraes were dumped out of the Taca de Portugal in the fifth round courtesy of a somewhat disappointing 1-0 home defeat against AVS, a result which brought their six-game unbeaten run, including four straight victories, to an end.

While Luis Pinto’s men have hit a snag of late, they will draw inspiration from their away form, as they journey to the Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior on a run of three consecutive road victories, including a 3-1 win over Porto in the Taca da Liga quarter-finals on December 4, and have picked up five wins from their six matches since the start of October.

Despite their recent slump, Vitoria de Guimaraes remain in the conversation for European qualification, as they sit eighth in the Primeira Liga table with 21 points from 15 games, five points behind fourth-placed Gil Vicente in the Conference League qualifying spot.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Casa Pia form (all competitions):

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes form (all competitions):

Team News

Casa Pia remain without the services of 27-year-old Kiki Silva and Spanish forward Max Svensson, who have been sidelined through knee and muscle injuries respectively.

Cameroonian international Duplexe Tchamba missed the game against Tondela after coming off injured midway through the first half against Torrense on December 17, and the 27-year-old is also out of contention for the hosts.

Iyad Mohamed is currently on international duty with Comoros at the Africa Cup of Nations and the 24-year-old midfielder will play no part in this weekend’s matchup.

Vitoria de Guimaraes will have to cope without veteran forward Oliveira, who is suspended after picking up a red card against Sporting Lisbon last time out, while Joao Mendes crossed the yellow card threshold to pick up a one-game ban.

On the injury front, Oscar Rivas missed the aforementioned game and is a major doubt for Sunday’s tie, while Gustavo Sa has been sidelined since coming off injured against Braga in September.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Batista; Geraldes, Fonte, Sousa; Larrazabal, Nhaga, Perez, Oukili, Conte; Livolant, Livramento

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Castillo; Maga, Balieiro, Abascal, Mendes; Samu, Nogueira; Mitrovic, Saviolo, Camara; Ndoye

We say: Casa Pia 0-2 Vitoria de Guimaraes

After picking up five wins and one draw from six games between November 8 and December 17, Vitoria de Guimaraes has come crashing down to earth with two defeats in their last two outings and will be looking to find their feet this weekend.

Casa Pia picked up three huge points against Tondela last time out, but their form on home turf remains a cause for concern, and we see them struggling this weekend once again.

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