Gil Vicente and Maritimo will both be seeking to pick up back-to-back victories for the first time this year when they square off in round 23 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
O Maior das Ilhas journey to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos looking to get one over the hosts, having failed to win any of the last four meetings between the sides since January 2021.
Match preview
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Gil Vicente continued their surge into the top half of the Primeira Liga table as they secured a shock 2-1 victory over title-chasing Porto at the Estadio do Dragao to extend their unbeaten run to four matches last Sunday.
In a game where Joao Mario and Mateus Uribe picked up red cards, Mehdi Taremi struck in the fourth minute to put the Dragoes ahead but goals from Fran Navarro and Murilo Souza helped the visitors turn the game on its head.
Off the back of successive away wins over Famalicao and Porto, the Gilistas now return home, where they are on a five-game unbeaten run, claiming three wins and two draws since November's 4-1 loss against Arouca in the Taca de Portugal.
Daniel Sousa's men have now picked up seven wins, five draws and lost 10 of their 22 matches so far to collect 26 points and sit 14th in the Primeira Liga table, but could move level on points with eighth-placed Boavista with all three points this weekend.
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Maritimo, on the other hand, moved out of the automatic relegation zone last Saturday when they picked up a 3-1 victory over Santa Clara in a thrilling bottom-of-the-table clash at the Estadio do Maritimo.
Having trailed at half time courtesy of Gabriel Silva's 18th-minute opener, the home side turned in an impressive second-half performance to turn the game on its head thanks to goals from Claudio Winck, Percy Liza and an own goal from Kennedy Boateng.
Jose Gomes's side were previously on a four-game losing streak — their second-longest run of consecutive league defeats this season — scoring three goals and shipping eight since January's 1-0 win over Estoril Praia.
With 16 points from 22 matches, O Maior das Ilhas are currently 16th in the Primeira Liga standings, one point above 17th-placed Santa Clara in the automatic relegation zone and six off safety.
While Maritimo will be looking to pick up successive wins for the first time this season, standing in their way is a Gil Vicente side who they have failed to defeat in their last four attempts, losing three and claiming one draw since a 1-0 victory in January 2021.
Team News
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Gil Vicente will take to the pitch without the services of veteran goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk, who has been sidelined since coming off injured against Famalicao on February 12.
Twenty-seven-year-old striker Ali Alipour, who has made 15 league appearances this season, has also missed the Gilistas' last two games and is a major doubt for Sunday's clash.
With his strike against Porto, Navarro now has 13 goals and three assists in 22 Primeira Liga matches, and we expect the Spanish forward to lead the hosts' attack once again, alongside Souza and Manuel Boselli.
Meanwhile, Maritimo remain without Portuguese midfielder Diogo Mendes, who is yet to make an appearance this year after coming off injured in December's game against Sporting Lisbon.
Liza opened his account for O Maior das Ilhas with his strike against Santa Clara last week and the Sporting Cristal loanee could be rewarded with a place in the XI.
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Carlos, Araujo, Fernandes, Marin; Aburjania, Tiba; Fujimoto, Souza, Boselli; Navarro
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Carne; Winck, Junior, Santos, Brito; Beltrame, Soares; Catamo, Xadas, Vidigal; Liza
We say: Gil Vicente 2-0 Maritimo
Off the back of ending their four-game losing streak, Maritimo will head into the weekend with renewed belief as they look to beat the drop. However, they take on a Gil Vicente side who are unbeaten in seven of their nine matches this year and have put together a fine run of form on home turf.
We predict a cagey affair on Sunday with the Gilistas picking up all three points and sending the visitors crashing back to earth.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
