Pacos de Ferreira return to Primeira Liga action on Monday evening when they square off against newcomers Estoril Praia at Estadio da Mata Real.
However, while the home side are on a high after defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa Conference League, the visitors have collected four points from their first two matches back in the top flight.
Match preview
Even after learning that Spurs were fielding an under-strength starting lineup, few people associated with Pacos de Ferreira would have believed that they were capable of defeating the Premier League giants and keeping a clean sheet.
That feeling was particularly strong after Jorge Simao's side had succumbed tamely at Boavista three days earlier, leaving them with much to ponder ahead of welcoming their high-profile opponents.
However, as well as claiming a 1-0 win, Os Castores came through that fixture without allowing Spurs to register a shot on target, a startling statistic even without the presence of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
Simao will now demand that Pacos de Ferreira take that form into their upcoming encounter with Estoril given that they now sit down in mid-table.
The setback against Boavista has the potential to be used as a wake-up call, but Simao will have plenty of questions to answer if his side cannot return to winning ways on the domestic front on Monday.
Respect will be given to the in-form newcomers, who built on an opening-way triumph over Arouca with a goalless draw against Vitoria de Guimaraes.
Estoril are one of only two teams - the other being Gil Vicente - who are yet to concede a goal, and such a positive start could prove crucial at the end of the campaign.
While the club's supporters will dream of a return to European competition seven years after their last appearance, Bruno Pinheiro's sole attention is on ensuring that Canarinhos do not become embroiled in any kind of relegation battle.
This is Estoril's fourth away game in five outings, their only defeat during that period coming at Famalicao in the Taca da Liga.
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
Team News
Simao will almost certainly make changes with the trip to London in mind, handing starts to the likes of Matchoi Djalo and Joao Pedro.
While Joao Vigario and Maracas are officially regarded as injury doubts, it is unlikely that any risks will be taken on the duo.
Jordi and Mohamed Diaby, who are yet to feature in the league this season, remain on the sidelines for this fixture.
Despite a solid result in their last outing, Pinheiro will give consideration to making changes to his Estoril XI.
Patrick William and Francisco Geraldes could both make their first starts after joining from Famalicao and Rio Ave respectively.
Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; Fonseca, Baixinho, Ramos, Silva; Santos, Pires, Ibrahim; Matchoi, Pedro, Uilton
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Soria, Africo, Willian, Joaozinho; Crespo, Franco, Loreintz; Chiquinho, Clovis, Geraldes
We say: Pacos de Ferreira 1-1 Estoril Praia
Given the magnitude of the upcoming fixture, do not be surprised if Pacos de Ferreira are not fully focused on this game. With that in mind, we feel that Estoril will prove good value for a point, further extending their excellent start to the season.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Pacos de Ferreira win with a probability of 37.66%. A win for Estoril Praia had a probability of 33.19% and a draw had a probability of 29.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Pacos de Ferreira win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.64%) and 2-0 (7.26%). The likeliest Estoril Praia win was 0-1 (11.73%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.39%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.5% likelihood.
