Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Casa Piavs.Chaves

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 April 2024, 01:05
Casa Pia will be looking to pick up their first home win since February when they welcome Chaves to the Estadio Pina Manique in round 31 of the Primeira Lila on Saturday.

The Flavienses head into the weekend knowing that they have just four games to salvage their season as they find themselves languishing in the relegation zone, six points away from safety.

Match preview

Casa Pia were sent crashing back down to earth last Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Porto despite their valiant display in front of their home supporters.

After falling behind to Wanderson Galeno's 31st-minute opener, Casa Pia upped the ante as Nuno Moreira restored parity in the 37th minute, but Nico Gonzalez scored in the 56th minute to hand the Dragoes all three points.

Prior to that, Goncalo Santos' men snapped their two-game losing streak on March 31 courtesy of a resounding 4-0 victory at Vizela before playing out consecutive stalemates with Estoril Praia and Portimonense respectively.

Casa Pia have now lost 14 of their 30 Primeira Liga matches so far while claiming eight wins and eight draws to collect 32 points and sit ninth in the league table, one point above 10th-placed Farense.

While Os Gansos will be looking to return to winning ways, home has not exactly been where their heart is as they have picked up just two points from their most recent four games at the Estadio Pina Manique and managed just one win in their last nine matches since December.

Chaves, on the other hand, picked up a potentially-vital point in their battle for survival as they fought back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw with Estoril Praia at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira last Sunday.

In a heated affair where Marcelo Carne and Pedro Alvaro picked up red cards, Joao Basso and Fabricio Andrade scored second-half goals to cancel out Joao Correia's 32nd-minute opener, but Helder Morim struck late into stoppage time to force a share of the spoils.

This followed a much-needed 1-0 victory over Vizela at the Estadio do FC Vizela on April 15 — a result which saw their run of six back-to-back games without a win come to an end.

Having secured a seventh-placed finish last season, Joao Teixeira's side find themselves languishing in the relegation zone heading into this season's run-in having picked up 23 points from 30 games to sit 17th in the league table.

Chaves' underwhelming campaign has been in no small part owing to their struggles at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored the second-fewest number of goals so far (30) — only Vizela (29) have shipped more goals this season.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

L

L

W

D

D

L

Chaves Primeira Liga form:

D

L

L

L

W

D

Team News

Casa Pia will take to the pitch without the services of midfielder Rafael Brito, who has been out of action since coming off with a muscle injury against Gil Vicente on March 3.

Beni Mukendi missed last Sunday's game against Porto due to a one-game suspension after picking up a late red card against Portimonense on April 14 but the 21-year-old should return to the fold this weekend.

Portuguese defender Sandro Cruz came off injured in the game against Estrela Amadora on February 24 and the 22-year-old remains out of contention for Chaves.

As for Chaves, South African midfielder Thibang Phete has been out of action since sustaining an injury against Boavista on February 17 and will play no part in Saturday's game.

Fellow midfielder Ricardo Guimaraes is also set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off injured following the 3-2 defeat against Portimonense on April 7.

With his strike against Vitoria de Guimaraes, Hernandez now has 13 Primeira Liga goals this season and we expect the Spanish striker to spearhead Chaves' attack once again.

The front three of Joao Correia, Ruben Ribeiro and Spanish striker Hector Hernandez, who has 14 league goals this season, has started the visitors' last two matches and should retain their roles in the XI this weekend.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Batista; Tchamba, Zolotic, Nunes; Larrazabal, Neto, Segovia, Lelo; Soma, Cardoso, Moreira

Chaves possible starting lineup:

Souza; Nogueira, Fernandes, Pius; Nwakali, Guzzo, Essugo, Carraca; Correia, Ribeiro, Hernandez

We say: Casa Pia 1-2 Chaves

The last four meetings between Casa Pia and Chaves have produced a combined 13 goals and we anticipate another action-packed contest this weekend. Having picked up four points from their last two games, Chaves visit the Estadio Pina Monique with renewed confidence and we are backing them to claim a narrow win.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.