Preview: Vitoria de Guimaraes vs. Gil Vicente - prediction, team news, lineups

While the Gilistas set out to snap their run of five consecutive away defeats, the hosts will be looking to make it four wins on the bounce for the first time since October.

Match preview

Vitoria de Guimaraes moved into the Conference League qualifying places last Sunday when they picked up a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Rio Ave at the Estadio dos Arcos.

Following a goalless first half, 22-year-old midfielder Tomas Handel came up clutch for the visitors as he struck 10 minutes into the second half to hand them a huge result in their quest for European football.

Joao Teixeira's men have now won each of their last three outings, scoring six goals and keeping two clean sheets, having failed to win their previous six matches preceding that run.

Barring any slip-ups in their final two outings, this upturn in form will see Vitoria de Guimaraes clinch the Conference League ticket as they now sit two points above sixth-placed Arouca in the Primeira Liga standings.

However, next up is the stern challenge of facing a Gil Vicente side who are unbeaten in 11 of their last 15 meetings, claiming five draws and six wins, including a 2-1 victory in January's reverse fixture.

Daniel Sousa's men finally stopped the rot as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Boavista when the sides squared off at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos last weekend.

A brace from Spanish striker Fran Navarro and Murilo Souza's 85th-minute penalty canceled out Sebastian Perez's 55th-minute strike and condemned the visitors to their 14th defeat of the season.

Prior to that, Gil Vicente were on a four-match losing streak and failed to win each of their previous eight outings, claiming just two points from a possible 24 since the second week of March.

The Gilistas have now picked up nine wins, seven draws and lost 16 of their 32 matches so far to sit 13th in the league table, level on points with 14th-placed Portimonense.

While Gil Vicente will be looking to build on last week's result and end the season strong, they have struggled for results on the road, where they are currently on a run of five consecutive defeats, stretching back to February's 2-1 victory over Porto.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

L

L

L

W

W

W

Gil Vicente Primeira Liga form:

D

L

L

L

L

W

Team News

Mikel Villanueva was forced off with a second-half injury against Rio Ave and the 30-year-old defender is a major doubt for Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Should he fail to shake off the injury, former Porto man Jorge Fernandes could come into the fold, forming the back three with Andre Amaro and Mamadou Tounkara.

Meanwhile, Gil Vicente will take to the pitch without veteran midfielder Pedro Tiba, who is suspended for one game after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Boavista.

On the injury front, Sousa will be unable to call upon the services of Ali Alipour and goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk, who have been sidelined through muscle problems.

With his brace against Boavista, Navarro now has 16 goals to his name, and the Spanish striker, who is two goals shy of Goncalo Ramos at the top of the league scoring chart, will be one to look out for.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Varela; Tounkara, Amaro, Fernandes, Maga; Handel, T Silva, Freitas; J Silva, Johnston, A Silva

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:

Andrew; Carraca, Araujo, Pereira, Marin; Fujimoto, Wilson; Aouacheria, Carvalho, Souza; Navarro

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Gil Vicente

With their eyes fixed on securing a place in Europe, Vitoria de Guimaraes must avoid any slip-ups in their final two games and we are backing them to edge out a Gil Vicente side who have not had it easy on the road of late.

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