Preview: Famalicao vs. Vizela - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to pick up their second win of the season, Famalicao play host to Vizela at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Sunday.

The visitors, on the other hand, head into the game without a league victory in each of their most recent seven games and will be looking to end this dry spell.

Match preview

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Famalicao finally picked up their first league win of the season as they saw off fellow strugglers Santa Clara 2-0 at the Estadio de Sao Miguel last Saturday.

In a game which saw three red cards, Simon Banza put in a fine performance he scored in either half to give the Vila Nova a comfortable two-goal lead before receiving his marching orders in the final minute of normal time.

Prior to that, Famalicao sealed their place in the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal courtesy of an emphatic 4-0 victory over Academica Coimbra at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra.

However, Ivo Vieira's men were denied a third win on the trot last time out when Manuel Ugarte and Nuno Santos scored to hand Sporting Lisbon a 2-1 win when the sides met in Group B of the Taca da Liga.

Despite the defeat, the Portuguese manager will be impressed by his side's turnaround in recent weeks and hope they can build on the positives from their performance against the Leoes and move clear of the relegation places.

With six points from their opening nine games, Famalicao are currently 16th in the Primeira Liga standings, two points below Sunday's visitors, but could rise as high as 11th with a win this weekend.

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Meanwhile, Vizela failed to make it two wins from two last time out when they suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against league leaders Benfica.

After putting on a defensive show of class to keep the scores level for most of the game, Rafa Silva came up clutch for As Aguias as he grabbed a dramatic winner in the eighth minute of injury time.

Prior to that, Vizela progressed into the next round of the Taca de Portugal after claiming a 2-0 win over Vitoria de Setubal courtesy of first-half strikes from Alex Mendez and Guilherme Schettine.

Alvaro Pacheco's men head into Sunday's game without a win in any of their most recent seven league outings, picking up five draws and losing two since a 2-1 win over Tondela back in August.

This has been owing to a lethargic display at the attacking end of the pitch, where they boast one of the division's poorest records with just seven goals scored.

Team News

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There are doubts over the availability of Alex Nascimento after the Famalicao defender came off injured in the game against Santa Clara last weekend.

In his absence, Riccieli was handed a return to the fold in the cup defeat to Sporting Lisbon last time out and the 23-year-old could keep his place in the starting XI.

Having only just returned from the sidelines, Cassiano picked up yet another game-ending injury just 13 minutes into the Taca de Portugal game against Vitoria de Setubal on October 17 and is out of contention for the visitors.

Portuguese goalkeeper Pedro Silva also misses out as he is currently recuperating from a severe injury he picked up back in February's game against Casa Pia.

However, Banza, who has five goals under his belt this season, is expected to start up top for the Vizelenses after serving a one-match suspension for picking up a red card versus Os Acoreanos.

Famalicao possible starting lineup:

Junior; Figueiras, Riccieli, Penetra, Marin; Pickel, Pepe; Jaime, Paulo, Tavares; Marques

Vizela possible starting lineup:

Charles; Kouao, Wilson, Fernandes, Afonso; Paulo, Claudemir; Zohi, Samu; Banza, Schettine

We say: Famalicao 1-1 Vizela

With just two points and three places between the sides in the bottom half of the table, this game has all the makings of an absorbing contest. We predict both sides will take a cautious approach to avoid suffering another defeat and settle for a share of the spoils.