Preview: Estoril Praia vs. Estrela Amadora - prediction, team news, lineups

Estoril Praia welcome Estrela Amadora to Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in the penultimate fixture of the opening gameweek in the Primeira Liga, aiming to recover from a run of disappointing pre-season results ahead of Monday’s Lisbon derby.

Ian Cathro's team have lost four of their last five warm-up matches since beating Belenenses on July 12, which does not bode well for last season's eighth-placed team against a side that only just avoided a relegation playoff by finishing 15th.

Match preview

When Canarinhos beat Belenenses 2-1 in the opening match of pre-season, Cathro surely expected a positive off-season ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

However, four losses and a draw have followed in the next five games, with the Canaries notably conceding three goals in three of those setbacks against Maritimo, Sporting Lisbon B and Millwall.

After losing 3-2 to Portuguese clubs, the most recent defeat was 3-0 to the English side, following a goalless draw with Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in late July.

As a result, Cathro's men go into Monday's game after failing to score in two consecutive friendly matches, and they aim to avoid misfiring in attack in gameweek one against Estrela.

Past results against the visitors from Amadora are in their favour, with the Canaries winning the last three meetings, notably scoring four goals in both encounters during the 2024-25 season, securing a 4-2 away win in January and a 4-0 victory in May.

While the home crowd in Lisbon will hope to put scoring issues behind them against a team they have recently fared well against, Jose Faria’s side will look to exploit the Canarinhos’ defensive weakness and end their three-match losing streak in this fixture.

Not since August 2023 have the Tricolours beaten the hosts, winning 2-1 over Estoril, but they have since suffered three consecutive defeats, with an aggregate score of 9-2.

Ironically, Estrela have historically had the better of this fixture, although matches between 1993 and 2023 have been few and far between, with only five encounters, of which Estrela won four and drew one.

It will be interesting to see if the visitors change their fortunes on Monday after ending their pre-season with a dip in results, including consecutive defeats to Belenenses (on penalties after a 1-1 draw) and Farense, despite notable wins over Celtic and Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Having scored three times in a 3-2 victory over Celtic, Faria’s team have failed to score more than once since, with a 1-0 win over Vitoria, a penalty defeat to Belenenses, and a goalless loss to Farense.

Estrela struggled for goals during much of the previous campaign, failing to find the net in five of their last six top-flight matches and narrowly avoiding the relegation playoff by two points.

They were already one of the lowest-scoring teams in Liga last season (24 goals) and have been unable to find the net freely in warm-up matches, which does not look promising ahead of Monday's visit to last season’s eighth-placed side.

Estoril Praia friendlies form:

Estrela Amadora friendlies form:

Team News

Injured duo Xeka and Jandro Orellana will be assessed by Estoril, who are likely to be without Alejandro Marques, with last season's top scorer with 11 goals reportedly nearing a move away.

Despite Marques’s potential departure, the Canaries hope Yanis Begraoui, who also scored 11 Liga goals and set up three others, will be influential on Monday.

Begraoui scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture in May, which Cathro's side won 4-0, and the forward aims to be just as decisive in the season's opening match.

Estrela report no injury concerns ahead of their trip to Estoril, providing Faria with a full squad to choose from.

Alan Godoy scored four goals in the Tricolours’ warm-up fixtures, and the forward enters gameweek one spirits high after an encouraging pre-season.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; Boma, Bacher, Ferro; P. Carvalho, Pizzi, Holsgrove, Amaral; J. Carvalho, Laxcimant, Begraoui

Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:

Ribeiro; Pantalon, Drame, Ni; Encada, Oudrhiri, Moreira, Varela; Marcus, Godoy, Kikas

We say: Estoril Praia 1-0 Estrela Amadora

While a draw should not be ruled out, Estoril's recent record in this fixture and Begraoui’s presence tip the balance in favour of the hosts to secure a narrow victory and start the Liga season positively.

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