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. Vizela - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 5 May 2023, 20:51
Vitoria de Guimaraes continue their quest for European football when they square off against Vizela at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Sunday.

Having suffered a disappointing loss to bottom dwellers Pacos de Ferreira last time out, the Vizelenses have gone three consecutive games without a win and will be looking to end this dry spell.

Match preview

After a rough few weeks, Vitoria de Guimaraes rekindled their race for a place in Europe as they picked up a 2-1 victory over Maritimo last Saturday.

Joao Teixeira's men knew they had to be at their best against a Maritimo side, who were aiming to pick up a third consecutive home win and pull clear of the automatic relegation places.

Tiago Silva and Andre Silva scored in either half to put Vitoria de Guimaraes in a commanding lead at the Estadio do Maritimo before Geny Catamo pulled one back for the hosts with three minutes left to play.

Os Vimaranenses were previously on a six-match winless run, picking up just one point from a possible 18 while scoring three goals and shipping 13 goals in that time.

Vitoria de Guimaraes have now picked up 44 points from 30 matches to sit sixth in the Primeira Liga standings, four points off the Conference League qualifying places with four games left to play.

Elsewhere, Vizela suffered consecutive league defeats for the first time since September as they were beaten 2-1 by relegation-threatened Pacos de Ferreira last Saturday.

Needing a win to keep their survival hopes alive, the Pacenses flew out of the blocks, netting twice inside the opening 33 minutes through Nicolas Gaitan and Paulo Bernardo before Matias Lacava halved the deficit in the 77th minute.

Prior to that, Vizela saw their four-game unbeaten run come to an end on April 23 when they fell to a 1-0 loss against Aroca courtesy of Morlaye Sylla's 12th-minute penalty at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.

With 39 points from 30 matches, Manuel Tulipa's men are currently 10th in the league standings, but victory this weekend could see them move level on points with seventh-placed Famalicao.

However, the Vizelenses journey to the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques, where they have lost each of their last three visits, scoring twice and conceding eight goals since July 2021.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

L

D

L

L

L

W

Vizela Primeira Liga form:

W

W

W

D

L

L

Team News

Andre Silva turned in another fine display in Vitoria de Guimaraes' victory over Maritimo and the 25-year-old, who has four goal involvements in his last seven matches, should spearhead the attack once again.

He should be joined in the final third by Celtic loanee Michael Johnston and 23-year-old Jota Silva, while Tomas Handel and Tiago Silva should retain their roles at the centre of the park.

Mamadou Tounkara, Ibrahima Bamba and Mikel Villanueva have started Os Vimaranenses' last two matches and should form the back three again, shielding former Benfica goalkeeper Bruno Varela between the sticks.

On the injury front, Teixeira will be unable to call upon the services of Portuguese defender Fonseca Amaro, who has been sidelined since March through a muscle problem.

Vizela will be without experienced full-back Kiki Afonso, who is suspended for one match after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking in the loss to Pacos de Ferreira.

In his absence, 22-year-old Matheus Pereira should come into the starting XI, forming the back four with Anderson, Ivanildo Fernandes and Igor Juliao.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Varela; Tounkara, Bamba, Villanueva; Maga, Handel, Silva, Freitas; Silva, Johnston, Silva

Vizela possible starting lineup:

Buntic; Juliao, Fernandes, Anderson, Pereira; Claudemir; Guzzo; Mendez, Samu, Bondoso; Etim

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Vizela

Buoyed by their victory over Maritimo, Teixeira's men will head into the weekend with renewed belief as they look to rekindle their race for a spot in Europe. While Vizela have the firepower in their ranks, they have struggled to get going in recent weeks and we predict Vitoria de Guimaraes will do just enough to come away victorious.

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.