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

Vitoria de Guimaraes will aim to recover from their opening-day setback when they host Estoril Praia at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques on Saturday.

The Conquerors step into this contest following a disappointing 3-0 loss at Porto, while the visitors arrive with a point in the bag after playing out a stalemate with Estrela Amadora.

Match preview

That defeat at the Estadio do Dragao was a haunting reminder of Vitoria’s late-season collapse in 2024-25 and hardly the ideal start for a side intent on reclaiming a European berth after falling short in the closing stages of the last campaign.

Luis Freire’s men had been firmly in control of the race for the final continental ticket, but back-to-back defeats against SC Farense and Sporting in the final two rounds saw their hopes evaporate, with Santa Clara capitalising on their misfortune.

Even with that bitter ending, there is no hiding from the fact that Vitoria were solid on their turf, with nine wins in 17 league outings (D5, L3) at Afonso Henriques last term, and this should provide some sort of encouragement ahead of their first home match of the new campaign.

Adding to the optimism is their commanding record in this fixture, having triumphed in six of the last seven meetings with Estoril, including a 1-0 success in last season’s corresponding fixture.

Estoril, on the other hand, took the reverse meeting by the same scoreline and will take heart from that result as they aim to make it back-to-back wins in this matchup for the first time since 2014.

However, Ian Cathro’s charges come into this game searching for a change in fortunes after matchday one’s 1-1 draw with Estrela extended their winless run to six matches (D2, L4), a sequence stretching back through a testing pre-season and overshadowing the optimism of last term’s progress.

The Canaries closed 2024-25 in eighth place with 46 points – their best finish in the top flight since their return in 2021-22 – and the goal this season will be to better that achievement.

Having failed to make home advantage count last weekend, their aim will now be to at least avoid defeat in Guimaraes, and Estoril are within their rights to be optimistic considering they picked up points in 11 of their 17 fixtures on the road last term.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes form (all competitions):

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Estoril Praia form (all competitions):

Team News

Vitoria enter this encounter still without defender Oscar Rivas and midfielder Samu, as both continue their respective recoveries from injury.

Telmo Arcanjo made a lively impression after coming on as a substitute last time out and could be rewarded with a starting role here, potentially replacing either Nuno Santos or Oumar Camara on the flank.

Tiago Parente fully justified the opportunity handed to him by Cathro in the previous outing, netting Estoril’s equaliser in the draw against Estrela, so he may well keep his place at left wing-back.

This weekend’s clash, however, might come too soon for Or Israelov, who was signed in midweek to help bolster the defensive ranks.

On the injury front, the midfield duo Jandro Orellana and Xeka will remain unavailable as they work their way back to full fitness.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Charles; Nobrega, Abascal, Borevkovic; Mendes, Silva, Handel, Felix; Arcanjo, Oliveira, Santos

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; Amaral, Bacher, Boma; Parente, Holsgrove, Pizzi; Carvalho; Guitane, Begraoui, Carvalho

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Estoril Praia

Vitoria will be eager to respond to their opening-day setback, and with their dominant recent record against Estoril serving as an added source of belief, the hosts are fancied to edge this contest.

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