Preview: Arouca vs. Vizela - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides locked horns in the fifth round of the Taca de Portugal on January 10, with the Vizelenses running out winners thanks to a late own goal from Nino Galovic at the Estadio do FC Vizela.

Match preview

Arouca picked up their first win of the year last Saturday as they edged out Estoril Praia 2-1 when the sides squared off at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.

Rafik Guitane opened the scoring inside the opening three minutes to put the hosts in front but Rafa Mujica restored parity eight minutes later before Tiago Esgaio netted on the stroke of half time to complete the comeback.

Prior to that, Daniel Sousa's men were on a run of three consecutive defeats in their three games to start the year, including a 1-0 loss at the hands of Vizela in their Taca de Portugal fifth-round clash on January 10.

After three consecutive games on the road, Arouca now return home where they are unbeaten in three of their last four games across all competitions — claiming two wins and one draw — with a 3-0 loss against title-chasing Benfica on January 6 being the exception.

The Arouquenses have now picked up five wins, four draws and lost nine of their 18 Primeira Liga matches to collect 19 points and sit 10th in the table, level on points with Gil Vicente and Casa Pia, and three points above the relegation playoff spot.

Vizela, on the other hand, failed to move out of the automatic relegation places as they suffered a 5-2 hammering against Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio do FC Vizela.

Despite efforts from Alberto Soro and Samuel Essende, goals from Francisco Trincao, Paulinho, Sebastian Coates and a brace from Vitor Gyokeres helped Sporting Lisbon maintain their one-point lead at the top of the table.

With that result, Vizela have now gone eight consecutive league games without a win, losing four and picking up four draws since a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia at the Estadio Pina Manique on November 5.

With 13 points from 18 Primeira Liga matches, Ruben de la Barrera's men are currently 17th in the league standings, just one point above rock-bottom Chaves and four points away from safety.

While Vizela have struggled to get going on home turf, they have fared decently on their travels, where they are unbeaten in six of their last seven outings across all competitions, picking up two wins and four draws since the start of September.

Next up for the Vizelenses is an opposing side who they have failed to get the better of in each of their last three league encounters, losing twice and claiming one draw since a 2-1 victory in April 2022.

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

D

W

W

L

L

W

Arouca form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

L

W

Vizela Primeira Liga form:

L

D

D

D

L

L

Vizela form (all competitions):

D

D

D

W

L

L

Team News

Arouca will take to the pitch without the midfield duo of 34-year-old Pedro Moreira and former Barcelona man Oriol Busquets, who are currently recuperating from injuries.

Brazilian defender Quaresma has been sidelined since last August and will play no part in Sunday's game while fellow countryman Vitinho is set to sit out his sixth consecutive game through injury.

The Arouquenses will also have to cope without Portuguese forward Pedro Carvalho, who is currently suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Estoril last time out.

Vizela, meanwhile, will be without experienced midfielder Osama Rashid, who is currently away with the Iraq national team at the ongoing Asian Cup.

On the injury front, the Vizelenses remain without the attacking duo of Guinea-Bissau's Jardel and 28-year-old Dylan Saint-Louis, who continue their spells on the sidelines.

Spanish midfielder Pedro Ortiz has missed Vizela's last four matches after coming off injured against Moreirense back in December and is also a major doubt for this weekend's game.

Arouca possible starting lineup:

Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Rocha, Montero, Milovanov; Simao, Eboue; Jason, Sylla; Gonzalez; Mujica

Vizela possible starting lineup:

Buntic; Oliveira, Escoval, Wilson, Pereira; Samu, Bustamante; Soro, Nascimento, Lacava; Essende

We say: Arouca 3-1 Vizela

Arouca and Vizela head into the weekend off the back of contrasting results, with the Vizelenses looking to bounce back from their humbling defeat against Sporting Lisbon. We predict Sousa's side will pick up where they left off against Estoril and pick up a third win in five league games.

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