Preview: AVS vs Vitoria de Guimaraes - prediction, team news, lineups

In what has been an underwhelming campaign, AVS' relegation could be mathematically confirmed this weekend when they play host to Vitoria de Guimaraes in round 29 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday.

Os Vimaranenses, who hammered Tondela to secure their first win since February last time out, will journey to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques aiming to pick up back-to-back league wins for the first time since November and keep their slim European qualifying hopes alive.

Match preview

Having narrowly beat the drop last term, AVS are primed to go down this season, with the Vila das Aves outfit languishing at the bottom of the Primeira Liga table, 14 points away from safety heading into the final six games.

Joao Henriques’s side secured a 5-2 aggregate win over Vizela in the relegation playoff last season, but a return of just one win and 19 defeats in their 28 games so far has underlined their struggles to compete in the big leagues.

Central to this season’s struggles has been a porous back line, with AVS conceding a staggering 61 goals in their 28 matches, four more than any other side in the division, while netting a league-low 18 goals at the opposite end of the pitch.

AVS head into Saturday’s tie without finding the back of the net in their last six matches, claiming three draws and losing three, including a 3-0 loss against Gil Vicente last Friday, when a brace from Gustavo Varela and Murilo Souza’s 34th-minute strike fired the Gilistas to a comfortable victory at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

Henriques’s men last secured a win on February 15, when they thrashed Estoril Praia 3-0 on home turf, a result which remains their only victory in 15 matches across all competitions since beating Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 in the Taca de Portugal on December 17.

After weeks of mediocre results, Vitoria de Guimaraes finally stopped the rot last Friday as they cruised to a 5-0 victory over Tondela when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques.

Having picked up two wins and one draw from their previous three league encounters, Os Vimaranenses showed their class in front of their home supporters, with Oumar Camara, Miguel Nogueira, Samu, Gustavo Silva and Joao Mendes all hitting the target to cap off a dominant team display.

The victory provided a timely lift for Vitoria de Guimaraes, who had failed to taste victory in their previous five matches, claiming one draw and losing four, including three consecutive defeats against Santa Clara, Famalicao and Benfica leading up to last weekend's victory.

While the win over Tondela keeps Gil Lameiras's men in contention for European qualification, much work must be done in the final six games, as they sit eighth in the league table, level on 35 points with Moreirense and 14 points off the fourth-placed Braga in the UEFA Conference League qualifying places.

However, results on the road offer little room for optimism, with Vitoria de Guimaraes losing each of their most recent five away matches, conceding 15 goals and scoring just six since the turn of the year.

AVS Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Team News

AVS remain without the services of French striker Antoine Baroan, who has missed the last eight matches since sustaining an injury in February's game against Sporting Lisbon.

Brazilian midfield Roni is also a major doubt for this weekend's matchup, having missed the game against Gil Vicente last time out through a muscle problem.

In his absence, Carlos Ponck was given the nod at the centre of the park against the Gilistas and the Cape Verde international should retain his role in the XI, forming the midfield trio with Gustavo Mendonca and Pedro Lima.

Guimaraes, meanwhile, head into the weekend with a clean bill of health, and we expect Lameiras to name an unchanged starting side following their dominant victory over Tondela last time out.

Should that be the case, Camara will lead the attack alongside Silva and Nogueira, while we should see an unchanged back four of Tony Strata, Thiago Balieiro, Oscar Rivas and 25-year-old full-back Mendes.

AVS possible starting lineup:

Adriel; Pivo, Santos, Vitor, Rivas; Mendonca, Ponck, Lima; Akinsola, Tomane, Green

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Marcelo; Strata, Balieiro, Rivas, Mendes; Nogueira, Mukendi, Samu; Nogueira, Silva, Camara

We say: AVS 0-2 Vitoria de Guimaraes

With defeat here damaging to both AVS and Vitoria de Guimaraes, we expect the two sides to take a cautious approach at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques as they look to leave with something. Off the back of a five-star display against Tondela, Lameiras's men will head into the weekend with confidence and we are backing them to come away with the desired result.

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