Gil Vicente vs Alverca - prediction, team news, lineups

Gil Vicente look to get their top four ambitions back on track as they welcome Alverca to Estadio Cidade de Barcelos for matchday 26 of the Primeira Liga.

A three-match winless run leaves the Roosters fifth in the Portuguese top-flight table, five points adrift of Braga in fourth, while the Ribatejo visitors are 10th in the standings, six points above the playoff spot.

Match preview

Gil Vicente are actually enjoying one of their best top-flight campaigns in recent years, but that journey has not been without hiccups, with the Barcelos outfit failing to record a victory in seven straight games (L1) from November 9 to January 3.

Having weathered that downturn with four victories in their next five outings (L1), snatching back fourth place with a win over Braga, Cesar Peixoto’s men relinquished the spot just a week later following defeat at Estoril Praia.

While a second consecutive loss saw the deficit to the top four grow wider, Gil Vicente failed to capitalise on the Archbishop’s draw against Sporting Lisbon last Saturday, playing out a 2-2 stalemate in their visit to Estrela Amadora a day later.

Despite taking the lead inside 14 minutes courtesy of Murilo de Souza’s penalty, the Roosters had to play catch-up for a moment, with Santiago Garcia’s 69th-minute equaliser snatching a point for the Barcelos club at Estadio Jose Gomes after they had fallen behind just two minutes earlier.

Gil Vicente have now conceded at least twice in each of their last three outings, an issue Peixoto will be keen to address, especially considering that all 11 of his side’s league victories this season have come when they have allowed no more than one goal, with eight of those wins arriving via clean sheets.

Despite their recent defensive frailties, the Roosters still boast a solid home record heading into Saturday’s clash, having won seven of their 12 league matches in Barcelos this season (D2, L3), although their most recent outing at the ground ended in a 2-1 defeat to Benfica.

Alverca, on the other hand, have struggled on the road, losing seven of their 12 away matches in the Primeira Liga campaign (W2, D3) and failing to win any of their last six such trips (D2, L4).

As a matter of fact, Custodio Castro’s side have found victories hard to come by in recent weeks regardless of venue, with no team in the division currently enduring a longer winless run than the Ribatejo outfit’s seven matches (D5, L2).

With each of their last four outings ending in stalemates, Alverca enter this encounter on the back of a goalless draw at home to basement side AVS last weekend, despite enjoying almost twice as much possession as their visitors.

The encounter also brought an end to a run that has seen goals at both ends in each of the Ribatejo club’s previous five matches, and it would not be a major surprise if this weekend’s clash follows a similar pattern, with no more than one side finding the net in the last three meetings between the teams.

That sequence includes a 4-0 defeat to Gil Vicente in the reverse fixture, leaving the visitors without victory in back-to-back meetings with the Roosters (D1, L1), though they can draw some inspiration from the fact that their last trip to Barcelos ended in a 1-0 success - albeit more than two decades ago, before Alverca’s return to the top flight this season.

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

Alverca Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Gil Vicente are expected to remain without the French duo of winger Tidjany Toure and 23-year-old right-back Jonathan Mutombo, with both players ruled out through injury.

Twenty-one-year-old defensive midfielder Mohamed Bamba is also likely to miss a seventh consecutive outing due to physical discomfort, while striker Carlos Eduardo remains a doubt after his omission from the squad last time out.

Meanwhile, Alverca are set to be without winger Stephane Diarra and midfielder Tomas Mendes, with both players still nursing muscle injuries.

Left-back Francisco Chissumba has missed the last three outings due to physical discomfort, while Sabit Abdulai is expected to sit out a sixth consecutive match.

On a positive note for the visitors, Brazilian full-back Kaiky Naves - who was suspended in the previous outing due to an accumulation of bookings - is set to return to contention, bolstering the defensive options available to head coach Castro.

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Lucao; Ze Carlos, Konan, Caseres, Esteves; Buatu, Elimbi; Murilo, Garcia, Moreira; Hernandez

Alverca possible starting lineup:

Gomes; Naves, Gomez, Meupiyou; Touaizi, Moreira, Lincoln, James; Figueiredo, Marezi, Chiquinho

We say: Gil Vicente 2-0 Alverca

Not only will Gil Vicente be looking to close the gap on the top four, but a slip-up on Saturday could also see them slide down the table, with the Barcelos outfit sitting just two points above sixth-placed Famalicao; as such, the need for victory in this encounter becomes even more pressing.

However, that ambition may not come easily, as Alverca have shown resilience in recent weeks despite their lack of victories, with the Ribatejo club having notably earned a point in their most recent away outing against Vitória de Guimaraes, but they could find themselves leaving Minho empty-handed this time around given the Roosters' strong home form.

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