Nacional da Madeira VS Vitoria Guimaraes, to save themselves from Primeira Liga relegation

Match Time：4/27/2021 02:00 Tuesday  (GMT+8)

Portugal Primeira Liga --  Nacional da Madeira   VS   Vitoria Guimaraes

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Bottom side Nacional are running out of time to save themselves from Primeira Liga relegation as they get set to welcome Vitoria de Guimaraes to Estadio da Madeira on Monday night.

 

The White and Black have lost 10 games in a row, while opponents Guimaraes have also been in bad form of late and are now sixth in the table.

 

Match preview

 

Not since beating Boavista 1-0 on February 9 have Nacional avoided defeat in the league, collecting zero points from the last 30 on offer.

 

The most recent of those losses came at Tondela on Thursday, with Jhon Murillo cancelling out Joao Camacho's early opener before Ricardo Alves snatched the win for the hosts.

 

Former Guimaraes boss Manuel Machado has been unable to turn the tide since returning to the club last month, and relegation now seems a formality for Nacional.

 

Machado's men are six points off the relegation playoff spot and seven points adrift of Boavista in 15th place, and they still have Sporting Lisbon and Benfica to play.

 

Guimaraes are hardly in the best of form, though, having lost six of their last seven matches, the exception being a 1-0 win against Santa Clara.

 

The Conquistadores have failed to score in four of those games and have conceded 14 times, while away from home they are without a goal in five matches.

 

That run includes a 1-0 loss at Porto on Thursday - Moussa Marega scoring the only goal of the game for the title chasers.

 

Despite their poor run of form, Guimaraes are in possession of a Europa Conference League qualifying-round spot, though Santa Clara and Moreirense are two and three points behind respectively.

 

Should the visitors go an eighth away game without a win, they could well end the matchweek down in eighth, but they have lost just one of their last five meetings with Nacional.

 

The most recent encounter between the sides finished 3-1 to Guimaraes three months ago, though this corresponding fixture last season ended 1-0 in Nacional's favour.

 

Nacional Primeira Liga form: LLLLLL

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form: LLLLWL

 

Team News

 

Nuno Borges was sent off five minutes after coming on as a substitute in Nacional's defeat to Tondela and will therefore miss this contest through suspension.

 

Curacao international Kenji Gorre was on the scoresheet the last time these sides met, but he had to be replaced at half time against Tondela.

 

That could see Brayan Riascos come into the side, while Bryan Rochez is another player pushing for a recall to the starting lineup.

 

As for the visitors, Joseph Amoah remains sidelined and Ricardo Quaresma - another of those on target in the previous meeting - was not fit enough to feature against Porto.

 

Guimaraes have been operating with a five-man defence and that should remain the case here, with Falaye Sacko and Gideon Mensah at wing-back.

 

Elsewhere, Mikel Agu is in contention to come into central midfield in place of Andre Andre.

 

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Filipe; Freitas, Pedrao, Correia, Kal; Alhassan, Azouni; Camacho, Bessa, Riascos; Mendes

 

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Varela; Fernandes, Amaro, Mumin; Sacko, Pepelu, Agu, Mensah; Edwards, Estupinan, Rochinha

 

Nacional 0-1 Vitoria de Guimaraes