Having missed out on a place in the Taca de Portugal final in heartbreaking circumstances, Famalicao return to Primeira Liga action against fellow European outsiders Chaves at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Monday.
The hosts fell to a 5-3 aggregate loss to Porto after extra time in the second leg of their cup-semi final on Thursday, while Chaves most recently gleaned a 1-0 win over Casa Pia.
Match preview
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Needing to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of their semi-final with defending champions Porto, Famalicao dug incredibly deep in Thursday's second leg to force extra time through Jhonder Cadiz and Ivan Jaime's efforts either side of Galeno's penalty.
Joao Pedro Sousa's side were on the verge of taking the tie to spot kicks, but Otavio and Evanilson came up with gut-wrenching strikes for Porto in added time of extra time to send the holders through to the final, leaving Famalicao's bruised and battered troops disconsolate.
However, Famalicao's efforts may not be in vain after all, as with Porto and Braga doing battle in the Taca de Portugal final, sixth place in the Primeira Liga table would now provide a pathway into the second round of Europa Conference League qualifying.
Sousa's side are within touching distance of such a goal, currently sitting seventh in the rankings and only two points behind Vitoria de Guimaraes in the final continental place, although their most recent league encounter ended in a 2-1 loss to Sporting Lisbon.
The hosts had enjoyed a three-game winning streak versus Pacos Ferreira, Vitoria and Maritimo prior to being put to the sword by Sporting - the fourth top-flight game in a row in which they have both scored and conceded - but four of Famalicao's last five home games in the Primeira Liga have now ended in victory.
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In contrast, Chaves' cup commitments came to an end before the New Year, allowing Vitor Campelos's troops to focus all their efforts on the race for Europe in the Primeira Liga, and such an approach has more or less worked a treat.
A 43rd-minute Steven Vitoria header handed Chaves a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia last weekend, allowing Campelos's eighth-placed charges to rise above their previous opponents in the table on goal difference and close the gap to Famalicao to just two points.
Campelos has now overseen a steady four-game unbeaten run for his side, who have a shock 1-0 win over Benfica to show as part of that streak, and the resilient Flavienses have only shipped three goals in their last 630 minutes of top-flight action.
Failure to convert one point into three away from home has hampered Chaves' efforts of continental qualification, though, as they have just one win to show from their last eight on the road, drawing five times in that sequence, including in each of their last two.
Famalicao ran out 2-0 winners on Chaves' turf when the sides last met in December, extending the hosts' unbeaten run to five games over their fellow European chasers, who have not beaten the Famalicenses since 1992.
Team News
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Famalicao boss Sousa will work around two fresh midfield absentees for the visit of Chaves, as Gustavo Sa and Gustavo Assuncao must serve one-game suspensions for a totting-up of yellow cards.
Enea Mihaj was able to come off the bench against Porto in midweek after shaking off a thigh issue, but Theo Fonseca is still sidelined with an ACL problem, while attacker Puma is nursing a hamstring problem and may not be ready either.
With Sa and Assuncao, both of whom started against Sporting last time out in the league, absent, Zaydou Youssouf is seemingly a surefire starter in the middle, while the likes of Leandro Sanca and Deni Junior could freshen up the attack after a gruelling 120 minutes in the cup.
As for Chaves, centre-back Vitoria picked up his fifth booking of the campaign 10 minutes before scoring the decisive goal against Casa Pia so will sit this one out through suspension too; Joao Queiros should deputise at the back.
However, tough-tackling midfielder Guima - who has now served three separate suspensions this term - is back from his latest ban and could challenge Joao Pedro for his spot in the double pivot.
Villarreal loanee Jonny Arriba should be the visitors' only injury-related absentee for this one, having not taken to the field since January.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Aguirregabiria, Riccieli, Otavio, Lima; Youssouf, Colombatto; Sanca, Rodrigues, Jaime; Cadiz
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Vitor; Monte, Ponck, Queiros, Langa; Guima, Teixeira; Abass, Mendes, Euller; Juninho
We say: Famalicao 1-1 Chaves
Chaves will undeniably boast the fresher set of legs heading into Monday's game, but there is hardly anything to separate the two sides in the standings, and we expect that to be reflected in the scoreline.
The visitors are a force to be reckoned with at the back, but their attacking performances often leave something to be desired, and a rejigged Famalicao side who have few problems making the net ripple can strike back to force a share of the spoils.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
