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: Vitoria de Guimaraes vs. Famalicao - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 March 2024, 21:55
Vitoria de Guimaraes will be looking to move within two points of the European qualifying places when they play host to Famalicao in round 25 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.

Having suffered a 3-1 defeat in October's reverse fixture, the Vila Nova will journey to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques seeking to get one over the hosts and strengthen their position in the top half of the table.

Match preview

Vitoria de Guimaraes ensured they remain within touching distance of the European qualification places as they picked up a comfortable 3-1 victory over Estoril Praia last Saturday.

In a one-sided affair at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, the visitors raced into a commanding lead courtesy of goals from Joao Mendes, Jota Silva and Nelson Oliveira before Alejandro Marques pulled one back for Estoril with a 69th-minute penalty.

Prior to that, Vitoria de Guimaraes saw their four-match unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end on February 24 when they were beaten 2-0 by Casa Pia courtesy of first-half goals from Clayton and Pablo.

Alvaro Pacheco's side have now won 13 of their 24 Primeira Liga games so far while losing six and claiming five draws to collect 44 points and sit fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Braga in the Conference League qualification spot.

Brimming with confidence from their recent success on the road against Estoril, Guimaraes now return home, where they are unbeaten in eight of their last nine matches, claiming one draw and seven wins — a run which has seen them reach the Taca de Portugal semi-finals.

Famalicao, on the other hand, were denied a second home win on the bounce last time out as they were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw by Boavista when the sides squared off on Monday.

In a cagey affair at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao, French forward Florian Danho opened the scoring in the 16th minute to put the hosts in front before Salvador Agra restored parity with a 69th-minute effort.

Prior to that, Joao Pedro Sousa's men snapped their three-game winless run with a 2-1 home victory over Rio Ave on February 16, one week before crashing back down to earth in a narrow 3-2 defeat at Arouca.

While Famalicao are currently eighth in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 27 points with Gil Vicente and Casa Pia, they will be looking over their shoulders as they sit just five points above the relegation playoff spot.

While the Vila Nova will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they face the stern challenge of taking on a Vitoria de Guimaraes side who are unbeaten in nine of their last 11 meetings, claiming seven wins and two draws since September 2018.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

L

W

D

D

L

W

Vitoria de Guimaraes form (all competitions):

W

W

D

D

L

W

Famalicao Primeira Liga form:

L

L

D

W

L

D

Team News

Vitoria de Guimaraes remain without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Bruno Varela, who has been sidelined through a muscle injury, meaning Charles da Silva should start in goal this weekend once again.

Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo has been out of action since suffering a cruciate ligament tear in May 2023 and is also out of contention for Os Vimaranenses.

He is joined on the club's injury table by 22-year-old defender Mamadou Tounkara, who sustained a severe injury in the Taca de Portugal clash with Vilaverdense back in November.

Barring any late fitness issues, Famalicao head into the weekend with a clean bill of health, giving Sousa the luxury of a relatively full strength squad at his disposal.

However, midfielder Jose Luis Rodriguez will play no part in Saturday's game as he serves the second of his three-match suspension after picking up a straight red card against Arouca on February 24.

January signing Danho opened his account for Famalicao against Boavista last time out and the Stade Lausanne-Ouchy loanee should spearhead the attack once again.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Marcelo; Borevkovic, Fernandes, Maga; Gaspar, Handel, T Silva, Mendes, Mangas; Oliveira, J Silva

Famalicao possible starting lineup:

Junior; Mihaj, Riccieli, De Haas; Nathan, Assuncao, Topic, Moura; Sa, Sorriso, Danho

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 3-1 Famalicao

With just 10 games left to go, Vitoria de Guimaraes know they must avoid any further slip-ups in their quest for European football. Having secured a morale-boosting result at Estoril last time out, we are tipping Pacheco's men to pick up where they left off and claim all three points this weekend.

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.