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

Matchday 18 of the Primeira Liga will be brought to a close on Monday evening as Estrela Amadora play host to Estoril Praia at the Estadio Jose Gomes.

Just one point separates the two sides in the Portuguese top-flight table, with the Tricolores sitting 12th on 19 points, while the Canaries are three places higher.

Match preview

Including their 1-1 friendly draw against Wolfsburg last time out, Estrela have now gone four games without defeat, despite navigating a tricky run of fixtures in the Primeira Liga.

With all three league matches in that sequence coming against sides currently in the top eight, the Tricolores will be pleased with how they have come through it, starting with a goalless draw against Moreirense, followed by a thrilling win at Famalicao, before another goal-laden contest saw them secure a dramatic comeback result against Braga.

Trailing 3-1 shortly after the hour mark, Jovane Cabral’s 69th-minute strike offered a lifeline for Joao Nuno’s men, who then levelled matters just four minutes later through Abraham Marcus, with the scoreline remaining unchanged until full time.

As a result, Estrela have lost just one of their last five league games (W2, D2) — a defeat against leaders Porto — highlighting a notable improvement in resilience for a side that had suffered three losses in the previous five top-flight matches (W2).

Having scored 23 goals in their opening 17 Primeira Liga fixtures, the Amadorans have been reasonably effective going forward, although conceding 27 underlines a lack of balance at both ends, something head coach Nuno will look to address.

There is also room for improvement on home soil, where Estrela have struggled to turn draws into victories, despite being unbeaten in their last four league matches at Jose Gomes (W1, D3), and a win on Monday would extend the Tricolores’s five-point cushion over the drop zone and lift them into the top half.

© Imago

Meanwhile, Estoril will be aiming to keep pace with the upper reaches of the table, with the Canaries sitting eight points adrift of the top four, and while victory could move them up one place to eighth at best, that would still depend on favourable results elsewhere.

Ian Cathro’s men must address their poor away form, having lost each of their last three league games on the road, including a 3-1 defeat to Benfica last time out, where Joao Carvalho’s strike proved little more than a consolation.

That result also meant the Canaries failed to build on a strong end to 2025, having won their final two games of the previous year, so they have now suffered three defeats in their last six league outings and four in seven across all competitions, including a Taca de Portugal elimination.

In search of a turning point, Estoril may draw confidence from precedent, having launched an impressive run of six wins in seven matches (D1) at the start of the second half of last season, a sequence that began with a 4-2 victory in their previous visit to Amadora.

That result forms part of a four-game unbeaten run against Estrela in the top flight (W2, D2), although this season’s reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw when the sides met in August.
 

Estrela Amadora Primeira Liga form:

Estrela Amadora form (all competitions):

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Atanas Chernev was absent from Estrela’s previous league outing, making his availability for this encounter uncertain and potentially leaving another gap in central defence, alongside Gabriel Miranda Rodrigues, who has yet to feature this season due to a broken arm.

Midfielder Oumar Ngom recently completed a move to Italian side Lecce, while attacker Chilohem Onuoha arrived from Cologne in midweek, following the signing of Kevin Hogh Jansson, and it remains to be seen whether either January addition will be available on Monday.

A repeat of the front three of Kikas, Jovane and Marcus appears likely after all three found the net in the previous league match, with the former taking his tally to six for the Primeira Liga campaign.

Estoril, meanwhile, will remain without left-back Goncalo Costa due to injury, while Andre Lacximicant could miss a third consecutive outing with a fitness issue, meaning Alejandro Marques may once again lead the line.

Long-term absentee Or Israelov is also expected to miss out due to a thigh problem, although Xeka could return to contention after several months sidelined with injury.

Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:

Ribeiro; Ecanda, Patrick, Schappo, Otavio; Sola, P Moreira, Robinho; J Cabral, Kikas, Marcus

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; Bacher, Boma, Amaral; R Sanchez, Holsgrove, Orellana, J Carvalho; Guitane, Marques, Begraoui 

We say: Estrela Amadora 2-2 Estoril Praia

Estrela have shown encouraging signs in recent weeks, but victories have been hard to come by, and that pattern could continue here against a side they have struggled to overcome in recent meetings, so a score draw appears the most likely outcome.

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