Seeking to make it three league wins on the bounce for the first time this season, Famalicao play host to Maritimo at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Saturday.
O Maior das Ilhas, meanwhile, head into the weekend off the back of picking up three huge points in their battle at the bottom of the table and will look to build on that result.
Match preview
© Reuters
Famalicao continued their push for a spot in Europe as they picked up a 2-1 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao last Friday.
In a game where Riccieli and Tiago Silva saw red, Jhonder Cadiz and Francisco Moura scored either side of Daniel Silva's 64th-minute equaliser to hand the Vila Nova all three points and the visitors their 11th defeat of the season.
Joao Pedro Sousa's men have now won four of their last five outings — scoring eight goals and conceding three — with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arouca on April 3 being the exception.
This fine run of form has seen Famalicao surge to seventh place in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 39 points with Vizela and Casa Pia, and two points adrift of the final Europa Conference League qualification spot.
© Reuters
Maritimo, on the other hand, picked up three huge points in their battle at the bottom end of the table as they thrashed fellow strugglers Pacos de Ferreira 3-1 last Saturday.
Andre Vidigal, Val Soares and Vitor Costa all found the back of the net in a superb team performance at the Estadio do Maritimo before Adrian Butzke pulled one back for the Pacenses in the 79th minute.
Having claimed a 4-2 victory over Boavista on April 2, Jose Manuel Gomes's men have now picked up successive home wins for the second time since the turn of the year.
Sandwiched between the two victories, O Maior das Ilhas were beaten 1-0 by Arouca at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca on April 8 courtesy of a first-half strike from Rafa Mujica.
Maritimo's recent upturn in form has seen them rise to 16th place in the league table, five points above the automatic relegation zone and three points behind 15th-placed Estoril Praia in safety.
However, Gomes's side now face the challenge of a Famalicao side who are unbeaten in each of the last eight meetings between the teams, claiming three wins and five draws since January 2016.
Team News
© Reuters
Famalicao will be without skipper Riccieli, who will serve the first of his three-match suspension after receiving an early bath in last weekend's win over Vitoria de Guimaraes.
In his absence, Albanian defender Enea Mihaj should be handed his 25th league start, teaming up with Alexandre Penetra, Otavio and left-back Moura in the back four.
On the injury front, Sousa will be unable to call upon the duo of Theo Fonseca and Jose Luis Rodriguez, who have been ruled out through ACL and hamstring injuries respectively.
Fresh off the back of a superb team performance against Pacos de Ferreira, Gomes could name an unchanged Maritimo XI on Saturday, with Brayan Riascos, Bruno Xadas, and Vidigal leading the attack once again.
Juventus loanee Felix Correia was a standout performer against the Pacenses and the 22-year-old should retain his place in the XI, while we expect Joao Afonso and Val Soares to form the midfield pivot.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Zainadine Junior and Moises Mosquera should form the centre-back pairing, with Paulinho Mota and Costa taking up the full-back roles.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Mihaj, Otavio, Moura; Youssouf; Dobre, Colombatto; Rodrigues, Cadiz; Jaime
Maritimo possible starting lineup:
Carne; Paulinho, Junior, Mosquera, Brito; Afonso, Val; Vidigal, Xadas, Correia; Riascos
We say: Famalicao 2-1 Maritimo
Following their performances at the weekend, Maritimo will head into the weekend with renewed belief as they look to salvage their season. However, Famalicao's campaign has taken a turn for the better in recent weeks and we are backing them to claim all three points and keep their race for a place in Europe alive.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
