Estrela Amadora are not out of the woods in the Primeira Liga heading into the final day against Gil Vicente at Estadio Jose Gomes on Saturday.
The vulnerable home side have been in wretched form in 2024, claiming just two wins, and they hope their opponents are on the proverbial beach in gameweek 34.
Match preview
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Estrela could have secured their top-flight status for another week last time out but were instead thrashed 4-0 by relegated Vizela, continuing their underwhelming 2024.
Tricolores have twice claimed maximum points since the turn of the year, beating Portimonense 3-0 and notching a 3-1 victory over Casa Pia, with the latter coming in March.
While no wins have materialised for Sergio Vieira's men since March 9, more worrisome is the fact draws have given way to defeats at the backend of the campaign, underscored by two defeats in three following a sequence of four stalemates in five (one defeat).
Firing blanks in three games on the trot does not bode well for their final-day match with Gil Vicente, and Vieira hopes his players find the back of the net on Saturday as they seek to end a three-match winless run in front of their fans.
Given that Estrela (30 points) may need to win to avoid falling below Portimonense (29), the home support hope they get the desired result to avoid slipping into the relegation playoff spot.
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It remains to be seen if Gil Vicente are accepting opponents on Saturday, with the 11th-placed Roosters unable to rise higher than ninth if they win and other results go their way.
Recent results have underlined Galos' commitment despite having little to play for, with Toze Marreco's team going undefeated in four consecutive matches since losing four on the trot in the league.
The Roosters have notched two wins and as many draws since their 4-0 loss to Sporting in April, finding the back of the net in four consecutive matches and keeping clean sheets in two.
However, they are far from guaranteed a positive outcome on Saturday, with their underwhelming road record better than two clubs in the 2023-24 season — Chaves (10 points) and Estoril (eight).
With Gil Vicente avoiding defeat in back-to-back road matches, they hope to extend that sequence to three without a loss, something not achieved since they went 11 top-flight games without losing on their travels from September 2021 to March 2022.
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Miguel Lopes's participation on Saturday remains uncertain, but Gustavo Henrique, Diogo Fonseca and Aloisio Souza are not expected to play any part for Estrela.
Kikas (seven goals), Leo Jaba (five) and Andre Luiz (four) have contributed 50% of the hosts' 32 league goals this term, and they hope to come up trumps for the side keen to avoid sliding into the bottom three.
Gil Vicente could be without the doubtful Kiko Vilas Boas for this weekend's visit to Amadora. However, Afonso Moreira and Ruben Fernandes are missing gameweek 34 because of injuries.
Marreco's troops have strikingly had different goalscorers during their four-match undefeated run, with Mory Gbane, Tidjany Toure, Jonathan Buatu-Mananga, Gabriel Pereira, Kanya Fujimoto and Felix Correia notching goals for the 11th-placed side heading into the final game of the campaign.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Brigido; Mansur, Gaspar, Mendes; Santos, Cordeiro, Bucca, Lima; Ndo, Jaba; Kikas
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Pinto, Pereira, Buatu-Mananga, Carlos; Fujimoto, Gbane, Dominguez; Souza, Alipour, Correia
We say: Estrela Amadora 1-1 Gil Vicente
Saturday's match is tricky to call, as Estrela's home form betters only four clubs in the Primeira Liga, while Gil Vicente's road return is nothing to write home about.
However, the away side's recent four-match undefeated run — with four points picked up from their recent six — points to them finding some form at the backend of the season, and a stalemate could be on the cards in Amadora.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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