Preview: Famalicao vs. Pacos de Ferreira - prediction, team news, lineups

After recently climbing out of the bottom two of the Primeira Liga table, Famalicao will look to stretch their league unbeaten run to four games on Sunday, when they play host to Pacos de Ferreira.

The hosts defeated basement side Belenenses last time out after successive draws, while their visitors come in on the back of a defeat to Benfica last weekend.

Match preview

© Reuters

After a strong mid-table finish last season, Famalicao had a tough start to the new campaign, sitting in the relegation zone with a concerning tally of just 10 points from the opening 14 games, providing just two victories.

They have shown more signs of encouragement recently under the new management of Rui Pedro Silva, though, firstly holding sixth-placed Estoril Praia to a 2-2 draw before they were only narrowly beaten in the Taca de Portugal by Portimonense in extra time.

Fama then earned another impressive point as they drew 2-2 away to Braga, albeit with a feeling of disappointment as the fourth-placed side drew level in the dying minutes.

It did not take much longer for them to post a first victory of the new manager's tenure, as a clash with basement side Belenenses ended in a 1-0 win last time out, with Riccieli netting the only goal, seeing them leapfrog Arouca and move out of the automatic drop zone.

Having not seen his side fall to a defeat since his appointment, Silva will be keen for Fama to continue their improvement in order to jump out of the bottom three, as they welcome a Pacos de Ferreira side looking to bounce back from a defeat.

After a mixed start of their own, Sunday's visitors looked to have corrected their form with back-to-back wins following the appointment of Cesar Peixoto, firstly defeating Tondela 1-0 thanks to Denilson's 81st-minute winner from the penalty spot in the new manager's first game in charge.

That was followed by a trip to take on Santa Clara, and Denilson was again the hero as he netted a second-half brace to overturn a deficit and seal a 2-1 victory for his side.

Peixoto's men faced the unenviable task of a trip to title-chasing Benfica last time out, and a possible winning run was quickly stopped in its tracks as Joao Mario and Alex Grimaldo fired the Portuguese giants to a 2-0 win, leaving their opponents just two points above the relegation playoff place.

Os Castores are now tasked with making a return to winning ways in order to make their position more comfortable in the top flight after an underwhelming first half to the campaign.

Team News

© Reuters

Famalicao are without centre-back Riccieli, who hit the winner last time out, as he will serve a suspension.

Meanwhile, Diogo Figueiras, Heriberto Tavares and Ruben Lima are all set to remain in the treatment room.

Other than the enforced omission of Riccieli, Fama will likely stick with a relatively unchanged XI after an important win last time out.

Pacos de Ferreira also have a concerning suspension, as forward Denilson, who netted all three of their goals in the recent back-to-back win, was shown a red card in their defeat to Benfica last weekend.

Meanwhile, Jordi, Joao Vigario and Maracas are all out of action, with the availability of Joao Pedro and Jorge Silva doubtful.

If he is deemed fit to feature, Pedro will likely be trusted to lead the line in the absence of Denilson, given the lack of another backup forward in the squad.

Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Penetra, Alex, Batubinsika; Fuente, Pickel, Pepe, Marin; Rodrigues, Banza, Jaime

Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
A Ferreira; Fonseca, Ramos, Baixinho, Antunes; Pires, Eustaquio, Ibrahim; H Ferreira, Pedro, Silva

We say: Famalicao 1-1 Pacos de Ferreira

While Pacos de Ferreira arguably boast more quality on paper, Famalicao will come in with renewed confidence, and we fancy them to earn a point.

The loss of Denilson will be a big one for the visitors to deal with, and we ultimately predict a low-scoring draw on Sunday as Fama fight for another positive result.

Previews by email