The Portuguese Primeira Liga returns with a fresh set of fixtures as Gil Vicente and Tondela go head to head at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos on Sunday.
The Gilistas will be looking to end their six-game winless run and complete a league double over the visitors after claiming a 3-0 victory back in December's reverse fixture.
Match preview
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Gil Vicente suffered yet another blow to their Conference League qualification chances last Sunday when they fell to a 4-1 defeat against a rampant Sporting Lisbon side at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Goals from Pablo Sarabia and Marcus Edwards put the hosts ahead and after Fran Navarro pulled one back on the stroke of half time, a 53rd-minute own goal from Lucas Cunha saw the Leoes regain their two-goal lead, before Pedro Goncalves converted his penalty in the 87th minute to cap off a superb team display.
Ricardo Soares's men have now failed to taste victory in any of their last six outings, picking up three draws and losing three since March's 1-0 victory over Braga at the Estadio Braga Municipal.
Gil Vicente's drop-off in form has been owing to their recent struggles at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have failed to keep a clean sheet and shipped 13 goals since the win over Carlos Carvalhal's side.
The Gilistas, who are currently fifth in the Primeira Liga table, have won 12, drawn 12 and lost eight of their 32 games this season to collect 48 points and sit in the final Conference League qualification spot, four points above sixth-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes.
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Meanwhile, Tondela were involved in a share of the spoils for the third consecutive game when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Pacos de Ferreira at the Estadio Capital do Movel last Monday.
Despite being in the ascendancy for most of the game, the Pacenses had nothing to show for their dominance as they needed a 92nd-minute strike from Lucas Silva to cancel out Salvador Agra's first-half opener.
The CDT Auriverdes have now failed to taste victory in any of their last five outings across all competitions, picking up three draws and losing twice since a 3-1 win at Maritimo on April 3.
With 27 points from 32 games, Tondela are currently 16th in the league standings, two points above rock-bottom Belenenses and three adrift of Arouca just outside the relegation zone with two games to go before the season draws to a close.
Nuno Campos's side, who boast the division's worst defensive record, now face the daunting task of taking on an opposing side who they have failed to defeat away from home in three consecutive attempts, losing twice and picking up one draw in that time.
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Team News
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Gil Vicente will be without the services of 27-year-old forward Murilo de Souza, who has been sidelined since picking up an Achilles tendon injury back in January.
Despite the Gilistas' slump in form, Navarro has been in superb form, scoring in each of his last three games and the Spanish forward will certainly be one to keep an eye out for.
As for Tondela, Modibo Sagnan will play no part in this weekend's encounter after receiving a late red in the game against Pacos de Ferreira last time out.
On the injury front, Naoufel Khacef continues his spell on the sidelines after coming off with an injury back in January's Taca de Portugal clash with Rio Ave.
Other names on the CDT Auriverdes injury list are Portuguese defender Jota Goncalves and Atalanta loanee Simone Muratore, who are recuperating from knee and muscle injuries respectively.
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Carlos, Silva, Fernandes, Talocha; Carvalho, Pedrinho, Fujimoto; Leautey, Lino, Navarro
Tondela possible starting lineup:
Trigueira; Manu, Alves, Sagnam; Borges, Augusto, Undabarrena, Bebeto; Barbosa, Agra, Dadashov
We say: Gil Vicente 1-1 Tondela
Gil Vicente and Tondela will head into the game seeking a morale-boosting result having both struggled for form in recent weeks. While the visitors need a win to keep their survival hopes alive, they are winless in each of their three visits to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos and we predict this trend will continue with the Gilistas holding out for a share of the spoils.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Gil Vicente win with a probability of 62.88%. A draw has a probability of 21% and a win for Tondela has a probability of 16.17%.
The most likely scoreline is Gil Vicente 1-0 Tondela with a probability of 11.12% and the second most likely scoreline is Gil Vicente 2-0 Tondela with a probability of 11.06%.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
