Preview: Tondela vs Estrela Amadora - prediction, team news, lineups

Two sides who could do well with a win go head to head on Sunday afternoon as Tondela play host to Estrela Amadora at the Estadio Joao Cardoso in round six of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since February 2023, when they played out a goalless draw in their Segunda Liga clash at the Estadio Jose Gomes and they will be out to secure their first win of the campaign this weekend.

Match preview

As one of just two sides with just one point after the first four games, Tondela failed to get off and running in the new top-flight campaign last Friday when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Alverca.

The first meeting between the two newly-promoted sides was settled by fine margins as Emmanuel Maviram’s first-half own goal at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca proved enough to hand the hosts their first win of the campaign.

For Tondela, this came right after their heartbreaking stalemate against Estoril Praia just before the international break on August 31, when Rafik Guitane struck in the 93rd minute to help Estoril snatch a 2-2 draw at the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Having clinched the Segunda Liga crown last season to confirm their return to the Primeira after a four-year absence, it has been a challenging restart to life in the top flight for Ivo Vieira’s men, who have failed to taste victory in their opening five matches, losing four and claiming one draw so far.

This poor run could be attributed to their lack of firepower at the attacking end of the pitch, where Tondela have netted just two goals so far — joint-fewest tally with Santa Clara — while conceding 10 so far.

Over in the West, Estrela Amadora were left empty-handed last Sunday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Vitoria de Guimaraes when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Jose Gomes.

Veteran striker Nelson Oliveira finished off a well-worked team goal in the 33rd minute to put Guimaraes in a deserved lead before substitute Alioune Ndoye put the result beyond reach in the 90th minute with his debut goal for the visitors.

Like this weekend’s hosts, Estrela Amadora have failed to taste victory after the opening five Primeira Liga matches, losing twice and picking up three draws while scoring three goals and conceding six so far.

While Ze Augusto’s men will be looking to find their feet this season, they have struggled to grind out results on their travels, where they are on a five-game winless run (L3, D2) and have managed just two victories from their 11 league matches since the turn of the year.

Tondela Primeira Liga form:

Tondela form (all competitions):

Estrela Amadora Primeira Liga form:

Estrela Amadora form (all competitions):

Team News

Tondela will have to cope without the services of Brazilian midfielder Cicero, who has missed each of the last three games since coming off injured against Famalicao in August.

Other than that, this weekend’s hosts will head into the game with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Vieira the luxury of a relatively full-strength squad to select from.

As for Estrela, 24-year-old striker Nilton is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game after picking up an injury in the season opener against Estoril Praia on August 11.

The defensive duo of Semeu and 22-year-old Guilherme Montoia also continue their spells on the sidelines and will play no part in this weekend’s matchup.

Brazilian midfielder Robinho was forced off injured against Vitoria de Guimaraes last time out and the 23-year-old is a doubt for the trip to the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Tondela possible starting lineup:

Bernardo; Bebeto, Marques, Medina, Maviram; J Rodriguez, Sithole; Manso, Cavaleiro, Lopes; Y Rodriguez

Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:

Ribeiro; Schappo, Patrick, Chernev; Encada, Moreira, Godoy, Cabra; Kikas, Pinho, Marcus

We say: Tondela 1-0 Estrela Amadora

Sunday’s tie offers an opportunity for Tondela and Estrela Amadora to secure a much-needed victory after a tough start to the campaign and we expect both sides to go all out at the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Both sides are evenly matched on paper, but we are backing Vieira’s men to make the most of their home advantage against Estrela, who have won just two league games on the road this year.

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