Maritimo will be looking to move out of the automatic relegation places when they visit the Estadio do FC Vizela to square off against Vizela on Saturday.
The Vizelenses, on the other hand, will set out to finally get one over the visiting side, having failed to win any of the previous three meetings between the teams since July 2021.
Match preview
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Vizela failed to secure consecutive wins for the first time since October as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Famalicao at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao last Friday.
After trailing at half time courtesy of Alexandre Penetra's 45th-minute effort, Kiko Bondoso leveled matters just four minutes into the second period, but Spanish forward Ivan Jaime struck in the 81st minute to hand the hosts a third win on the trot.
Prior to that, Vizela endured a poor Taca da Liga campaign as they failed to win any of their three matches and finished third in Group A, before claiming a 3-0 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the league in their final outing of 2022.
With 18 points from 15 matches, Manuel Tulipa's men are currently 12th in the Primeira Liga standings, but could rise as high as eighth place with all three points this Saturday.
Maritimo, on the other hand, continued their surge from the bottom of the drop zone as they stunned league heavyweight Sporting Lisbon with a 1-0 victory at the Estadio do Maritimo last Sunday.
Despite being in the ascendancy for most of the game and seeing the bulk of the possession, Ruben Amorim's side were guilty of a lethargic display in attack as Claudio Winck netted the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to hand the hosts their biggest result so far this season.
O Maior das Ilhas were previously without a win in six consecutive matches across all competitions — a run which saw them crash out of the Taca da Liga after losing each of their three matches to finish rock-bottom in Group D.
However, after kicking off their Primeira Liga campaign with eight consecutive defeats, Jose Manuel Gomes's side have turned their fortunes around in recent weeks and head into Saturday's match-up on a run of two wins and two draws from their last five outings.
With 10 points from 15 matches, Maritimo are currently 17th in the Primeira Liga standings, seven points above rock-bottom Pacos de Ferreira and three behind 15th-placed Santa Clara just outside the relegation zone.
Team News
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Bondoso was forced off injured in the 75th minute against Famalicao last Friday and the Portuguese forward is a major doubt for the home side.
Should he fail to shake off the injury, Alex Mendez could push for his 10th league start of the season, teaming up with Milutin Osmajic and Nuno Moreira in the final third.
Meanwhile, Maritimo will take to the pitch without the services of Spanish youngster Pablo Moreno, who is currently recuperating from a muscle problem.
Portuguese midfielder Diogo Mendes has missed the last two matches through a slight injury and is out of contention for the trip to the Estadio do FC Vizela.
Junior Zainadine is also a major doubt for this weekend's encounter after the veteran defender missed the game against Sporting Lisbon after coming off injured in December's game versus Rio Ave.
Vizela possible starting lineup:
Buntic; Juliao, Wilson, Anderson, Pereira; Samu, Claudemir, Guzzo; Mendez, Osmajic, Moreira
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Carne; Winck, Mosquera, V Costa, M Costa; Xadas, Afonso; Brito, Vidigal, Pereira; Liza
We say: Vizela 1-2 Maritimo
Not many sides can boast of having gotten the better of Sporting Lisbon this season and after Sunday's victory over Amorim's side, Maritimo will head into this weekend with sky-high confidence. The visitors take on a Vizela side who have struggled for consistency in recent weeks and we predict that they will come away with another close victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
