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

Preview: Casa Pia vs. Nacional - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 February 2023, 09:38
Casa Pia and Nacional will both be looking to reach the semi-finals of the Taca de Portugal for the very first time when they do battle in the nation's capital on Thursday night.

Occupying fifth place in the Primeira Liga table, Casa Pia will be hopeful of dispatching Nacional, who find themselves just outside the relegation zone in the second tier.

Match preview

Casa Pia ended an 83-year wait for top-flight football when they gained promotion from the second tier last season, and Filipe Martins's side have enjoyed a remarkable comeback campaign so far.

After starting the season among the relegation favourites, Casa Pia have exceeded all expectations up to now, and they currently find themselves fifth in the Primeira Liga standings, having won nine of their 19 league matches this term.

The Geese kicked off their Taca de Portugal campaign with 2-0 victories over Sao Martinho and Valadares Gaia before beating Vitoria de Setubal 1-0 in the previous round, meaning they have yet to concede a goal in this season's competition.

Although Casa Pia suffered a 3-0 defeat to Benfica last weekend - meaning they have now lost three of their past four league outings - Martins's men will be confident of booking their place in the semi-finals.

On the other hand, Nacional have come through four ties to reach the Taca de Portugal quarter-finals, knocking out Angrense, Oliveirense, Tondela and Rabo de Peixe along the way.

The Madeira outfit also kept three clean sheets in the process, although they were made to work hard in the third round, with Oliveirense forcing extra time before Nacional clinched a 3-1 victory to progress.

Filipe Candido's side claimed a much-needed league win against Torreense last weekend, but they remain at the wrong end of the second-tier table, having won just three of their previous 13 league matches.

Following a failed promotion push, Nacional finished sixth in last season's standings - 17 points behind second-placed Casa Pia - and they could find themselves in the third tier next term if their struggles continue.

Casa Pia Taca de Portugal form:

W

W

Casa Pia form (all competitions):

D

W

L

L

W

L

Nacional Taca de Portugal form:

W

W

Nacional form (all competitions):

W

W

L

W

W

Team News

Casa Pia are still without long-term injury absentee Leo Natel, with the Brazilian winger likely to miss the remainder of the campaign due to an ACL problem.

Goalkeeper Lucas Paes Souza will also miss Thursday's clash through injury, meaning Ricardo Batista should keep his place between the sticks for the hosts.

Having scored two goals in three Taca de Portugal appearances this season, Rafael Martins will lead the line for Casa Pia, with Saviour Godwin and Romario Baro offering support in attack.

As for Nacional, Carlos Daniel will aim to enhance his tally on Thursday after bagging a brace in last weekend's 3-1 victory over Torreense.

Brazilian striker Dudu has netted two goals in three Taca de Portugal outings this term, so he looks set to play a key role for visitors, who have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of the quarter-finals.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Batista; Nunes, Varela, Zolotic; Soares, Taira, Cuca, Poloni; Baro, Godwin; Martins

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Encarnacao; Silva, Rafael, Vitor, De Sousa; Daniel, Danilovic, Esteves, Ze Manuel, Dudu, Witi

We say: Casa Pia 2-0 Nacional

Previews by email

Top News

15 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to offer Joshua Zirkzee in a player-plus-cash bid for Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres. 15 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been informed they will need to double their £40m valuation if they want to sign Nottingham Forest defender Murillo. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mohamed Salah and Liverpool could be open to the idea of compromising on a contract extension of two years given the forward has long indicated that his clear preference would be to stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed the reason behind his decision to omit Harry Kane from the starting lineup for the 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 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 West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 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.