Preview: Estoril Praia vs Tondela - prediction, team news, lineups

Red-hot Estoril Praia look to continue their impressive run as they welcome struggling Tondela to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday for matchday 21 of the Primeira Liga.

The Canaries have won five of their last six games (L1), lifting them to seventh in the Portuguese top-flight standings, while the Gold and Greens are without victory in their last four matches (D1, L3) and sit second from bottom.

Match preview

Estoril’s recent form represents a resurgence, having gone from a three-match winless league run (D1, L2) — and four across all competitions — to picking up more points in their last six outings (15) than in their opening 14 fixtures (14).

Ian Cathro’s side enter this encounter following a thrilling 4–2 victory at Santa Clara, where they let a two-goal lead slip but eventually secured victory thanks to late strikes from Rafik Guitane and Yanis Begraoui — his second of the encounter from the spot — marking a third straight win.

The Canaries’s explosive form has been built on attacking excellence, netting 19 times across their last six outings, four of which produced four or more goals, while the only time they failed to take maximum points in that stretch was a 3–1 defeat away to Primeira Liga giants Benfica.

Putting their final-third sharpness into perspective, Estoril’s 41 league goals this season are bettered by only two sides, and that tally matches leaders Porto’s output, though Cathro may still need to tighten a defence that has conceded 33.

Now seven points off the top four, victory on Saturday would significantly strengthen their bid for a European finish, and the Canaries can be confident of doing so, having won each of their last three home games, leaving them with five victories from 10 league matches on their own turf this term (D3, L2).

Making this encounter even more daunting for Tondela is the fact they have suffered defeats in seven of their 10 away league games this season (W2, D1), a record that reflects the newly promoted side’s struggles overall.

The Gold and Greens have lost 13 of their 20 Primeira Liga matches (W3, D4), including eight of the last 12, leaving them five points adrift of safety, having conceded 33 goals while holding the division’s weakest attacking tally with just 12 scored.

That comes as little surprise given Cristiano Bacci’s men have failed to find the net in each of their last four matches, though the manager will take encouragement from their resilient display last time out, when they held Benfica to a goalless draw, halting a three-match losing streak.

While Tondela will look to draw inspiration from that spirited showing, they must also contend with an unfavourable head-to-head record this weekend, having lost eight of the previous nine league meetings with Estoril (D1), with the only exception being a 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture.

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Tondela Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Estoril will have to cope without highly sought-after centre-back Kevin Boma, who is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign last time out.

Or Israelov remains sidelined long-term; forward Andre Lacximicant could miss a sixth straight game, while midfielder Jandro Orellana may once again be unavailable after sitting out the last two outings.

Including his brace last time out, Begraoui has now scored nine goals across his last five appearances, netting two or more in each of the last three and taking his season tally to 15, behind only Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis (19) and Sporting Lisbon’s Luis Suarez (18).

Pedro Henrique (Maranhao) is Tondela’s top scorer with three goals this season, and the winger could return to the starting lineup after featuring from the bench last time out.

Meanwhile, left-back Nor Maviram was forced off in last weekend’s draw against Benfica, making him doubtful for Saturday’s trip to Estoril.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; P Carvalho, Bacher, Amaral; Sanchez, Holsgrove, Pizzi, J Carvalho; Guitane, Marques, Begraoui

Tondela possible starting lineup:

Bernardo; Bebeto, Marques, Medina, Silva Afonso; Cicero, Hodge; Conceicao, Pedro Maranhao, Aiko; Siebatcheu

We say: Estoril Praia 2-0 Tondela

This is a meeting between two sides experiencing contrasting trajectories, with Estoril’s attacking momentum likely to prove decisive against Tondela’s blunt edge.

Considering the hosts’ blazing form in the final third, a convincing home victory looks the most probable outcome, especially with the visitors struggling for goals.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.