Preview:Gil Vicente vs Moreirense - prediction, team news, lineups

Gil Vicente will welcome in-form Moreirense to Estadio Cidade de Barcelos for the curtain-raiser of matchday four of the 2025-26 Primeira Liga on Friday evening.

The home side have collected four points from their opening three fixtures of the season, while their visitors boast a flawless record so far, claiming maximum points in all three outings.

Match preview

Gil Vicente opened the campaign on a bright note with a comfortable win at Nacional on the first weekend but have since gone two matches without victory, though both were against tricky opposition.

The Rosters slipped to a 2-0 home defeat to Porto but managed to secure a point at Famalicao last time out, a side that had triumphed in six of their previous nine league games at the Estadio Municipal.

Cesar Peixoto will be pleased with his team’s resolve in that hard-fought stalemate, yet the coach will be concerned by their growing inefficiency in front of goal, which stems not from a lack of opportunities but from poor execution in the final third.

Against Porto, Gil Vicente racked up 14 attempts but forced only two saves, while at Famalicao their return of eight efforts on target from 20 attempts again underlined their profligacy.

There is a pressing need for improvement ahead of Friday’s clash, particularly as the Barcelos outfit have found home matches difficult, failing to score and losing eight of their last 10 league fixtures on their own turf stretching back to last season.

That poor sequence includes a 1-0 defeat in this very fixture last term, with Moreirense now unbeaten in six consecutive Primeira Liga visits to Barcelos, winning four and drawing two.

The visitors have every reason to feel optimistic about extending that run, especially given their perfect start to this season, winning all three games and keeping consecutive clean sheets in the last two.

Their 2-0 triumph over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Minho derby last weekend was another highlight, with Guilherme Schettine once more proving decisive in front of goal.

The 29-year-old Brazilian striker has now scored the opener in each of Moreirense’s three matches this term, and his brace in Saturday’s victory lifted the club to third place in the table.

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

Gil Vicente form (all competitions):

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Moreirense form (all competitions):

Team News

Tidjany Toure, Jonathan Mutombo, Carlos Eduardo and Mohamed Bamba are set to miss out for Moreirense through injury.

Ze Carlos faces a late fitness test to determine his availability, and should he recover, he will compete with Heverton for a place on the right-hand side of defence.

New recruits Diogo Travassos and Vasco Sousa arrived in midweek, but Friday’s match is likely to come too soon for either to make their debuts.

Schettine’s brace against Vitoria leaves him as the current Primeira Liga top scorer with four goals, and the Brazilian will be eager to extend his impressive run of form, while Guilherme Liberato and Michel remain sidelined as they continue their respective recoveries.

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Andrew; Konan, Buatu, Elimbi, Santos; Garcia, Caseres; Fernandez, Esteves, Bermejo; Pablo

Moreirense possible starting lineup:

Secco; Kiko, Marcelo, Maracas, Pinto; Stjepanovic, Assis, Alan; Bondoso, Schettine, Teguia

We say: Gil Vicente 0-1 Moreirense

Moreirense head into this fixture with the better momentum, and, given their strong recent record at Barcelos, the visitors are well placed to edge what promises to be a tightly contested encounter.

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