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: Gil Vicente vs. Vizela - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 15 February 2023, 19:45
Round 21 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga gets underway on Friday when Gil Vicente and Vizela go head to head at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

The Vizelenses, who are currently on a run of four consecutive away defeats across all competitions, will be looking to end this dry spell and strengthen their position in the top half of the standings.

Match preview

Gil Vicente maintained their impressive run of results on home turf as they secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Famalicao when the sides squared off last Sunday.

Following a relatively uneventful first half at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao, Brazilian forward Murilo Souza netted the only goal of the game to hand the Vila Nova their 11th defeat of the season.

Prior to that, Daniel Sousa's side saw their two-game winning streak come to an end on January 31, when they suffered a 2-1 loss at Pacos de Ferreira before holding out for a 1-1 draw with Arouca five days later.

The Gilistas now return home, where they are currently on a run of four consecutive matches without defeat, picking up one draw and three wins, including November's 2-0 Taca da Liga victory over Nacional.

Gil Vicente have now picked up six wins, four draws and lost 10 of their 20 matches to collect 22 points and sit 13th in the Primeira Liga table, level on points with 14th-placed Estoril Praia.

Vizela, on the other hand, made it five consecutive home matches without a defeat across all competitions last Friday when they played out a goalless draw with Chaves on home turf.

Despite multiple goalscoring chances for both sides at the Estadio do FC Vizela, they were guilty of a lack of cutting-edge in the final third before settling for a share of the spoils.

Manuel Tulipa's side have now picked up two draws and three wins in their most recent five matches on home turf since a 1-0 loss at the hands of Arouca on November 5.

However, Vizela have struggled to get going on the road, where they are currently on a five-game losing streak, stretching back to December's 1-1 draw with Segunda Liga side Mafra in the Taca da Liga.

The Vizelenses are currently 10th in the Primeira Liga standings after picking up 25 points from 20 matches, but could move into eighth-place with all three points this weekend.

They must first overcome the threat of a Gil Vicente side who they have failed to get the better of in each of their last seven meetings, losing four and claiming three draws since a 1-0 cup victory in October 2016.

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

L

W

W

L

D

W

Vizela Primeira Liga form:

L

W

L

W

L

D

Team News

Gil Vicente will take to the pitch without Brazilian forward Lucas Barros, who has been out of action since last May through an ACL injury.

Ali Alipour and goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk came off injured before the hour mark in Sunday's game against Famalicao and are major doubts for this weekend's encounter.

In their absence, 23-year-old Juan Manuel Boselli will push for a spot in attack, teaming up with Fran Navarro and Kanya Fujimoto, while Brazilian goalkeeper Andrew should start between the sticks.

Vizela's ever-present midfielder Raphael Guzzo sustained a game-ending injury in the first half of last week's clash with Chaves and the 28-year-old, who has started 17 league matches this season, is out of contention for the trip to the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

Alex Mendez, who replaced Guzzo in the aforementioned game, could be handed a starting role on Friday with the former Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder combining with Claudemir at the centre of the park.

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Andrew; Carraca, Araujo, Fernandes, Marin; Aburjania, Tiba; Souza; Fujimoto, Boselli, Navarro

Vizela possible starting lineup:

Buntic; Juliao, Fernandes, Wilson, Afonso; Claudemir; Mendez, Bondoso, Samu, Moreira; Osmajic

We say: Gil Vicente 1-0 Vizela

With just three points separating Gil Vicente and Vizela, we anticipate an action-packed contest with both sides taking the game to each other. The Gilistas head into the game as the more in-form side, and given the recent results between the sides, we are backing them to claim a slender victory in this one.

Previews by email

Top News

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. 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.