Looking to snap their run of eight games without a win, Estoril Praia play host to Tondela at the Stadium António Coimbra da Mota in round 22 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
This will be the second meeting between the sides in a little over a month after the CDT Auriverdes claimed a 3-1 victory when they met in the round of 16 of the Taca de Portugal back in December.
Match preview
© Reuters
Estoril Praia failed to find their feet last Saturday when they were held to an uneventful goalless draw by Maritimo at the Estadio do Maritimo.
In a game where Carles Soria received his marching orders, the hosts were guilty of a lethargic display in the final third as they failed to convert several clear-cut chances before settling for a share of the spoils.
This followed a similar goalless draw against Pacos de Ferreira on January 31 which saw their run of five consecutive defeats across all competitions come to an end.
After a sensational start to the season, where they picked up four wins and one draw from their opening five games, Estoril Praia appear to have run out of steam in recent weeks as they head into Saturday's game winless in each of their last eight games in all competitions, stretching back to December's 1-0 win over Belenenses.
In that time, Bruno Pinheiro's men picked up three draws and lost five games, including a 3-1 defeat at Tondela on December 21 which saw them crash out of the Taca de Portugal in the round of 16.
However, for all their struggles, Estoril Praia are currently seventh in the Primeira Liga standings, seven points off the Conference League qualification spot, after claiming 27 points from 21 games.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Tondela were sent crashing back down to earth last time out when they fell to a 3-1 loss at the hands of Benfica at the Estadio Joao Cardoso.
In an action-packed contest, Everton, Darwin Nunez and Goncalo Ramos scored to put As Aguias in a commanding three-goal lead before Eduardo Quaresma grabbed a consolation goal in the 88th minute.
Prior to that, Paco Ayestaran's side ended their three-game winless run in the Primeira Liga when they came from behind to grind out a 2-1 win over 10-man Portimonense at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao on January 22.
With 20 points from 21 games, Tondela are currently 14th in the league table, level on points with Boavista and just two above Arouca in the relegation playoff spot.
While they will look to pull clear of the drop zone, next up is the daunting task of going up against an opposing side who have won each of the last seven league meetings between the sides since 2015.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- D
- W
- D
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
French youngster Ruben Providence, who recently moved to Estoril Praia from Club Brugge, awaits his first appearance for the club as he continues his spell on the sidelines through an ankle injury.
He is joined on the club's injury table by 25-year-old defender Lucas Africo, who has been out of action since November through a severe knee injury, while Rui Fonte was hooked off just 29 minutes into the game against Maritimo after sustaining an injury.
Spanish full-back Soria will also play no part in the game as he serves his suspension for receiving his matching orders in the game against Maritimo last time out.
Tondela, on the other hand, will have to make do with the absence of Italian midfielder Simone Muratore, who has been sidelined since October's game against Belenenses.
Portuguese youngster Jota Goncalves is also out of contention for the visitors as he continues his long journey to full fitness after picking up a knee injury back in September.
Neto Borges, who has 18 appearances under his belt this season, will sit out Saturday's game as he serves his suspension for picking up a red card against Benfica last Monday.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Patrick, Ferraresi, Vital, Joaozinho; Loreintz, Gamboa, Franco; Baro, Xavier, Laurenco
Tondela possible starting lineup:
Trigueira; Almeida, Quaresma, Alves, Khacef; Undabarrena, Augusto; Boselli, Barbosa, Agra; Anjos
We say: Estoril Praia 1-1 Tondela
Estoril Praia continue to struggle for form at the business end of the season following an impressive start to their top-flight campaign. Tondela have been decent away from home in recent weeks, claiming two wins and two draws from four games and will look to continue their charge away from the drop zone. However, we predict the spoils will be shared in this one with both sides settling for one point apiece.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
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 Estoril Praia win with a probability of 42.44%. A win for Tondela had a probability of 30.51% and a draw had a probability of 27%.
The most likely scoreline for a Estoril Praia win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.62%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.65%) and 2-0 (7.85%). The likeliest Tondela win was 0-1 (9.49%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.81%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Estoril Praia in this match.
