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

Pacos de Ferreira square off against Gil Vicente on Friday looking to extend their Primeira Liga unbeaten streak to five matches.

Meanwhile, Gil Vicente will confirm their place in the Portuguese top flight for another 12 months if they avoid defeat at Estadio Capital do Movel.

Match preview

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Pacos de Ferreira have been far from their best in recent weeks, recording six points from their last four league fixtures.

Nevertheless, it has been enough to take Pepa and his squad to the brink of qualifying for the Europa League ahead of Vitoria de Guimaraes, who must win their remaining three matches to have any chance of fifth spot.

While Pacos de Ferreira may have already sealed that position come kickoff on Friday, Pepa will demand that they focus on defeating their next opponents and Tondela.

Despite scoring in their last four fixtures, Os Castores have still only netted four strikes in their last eight fixtures.

That is partly due to the form of top goalscorer Douglas Tanque, who has failed to find the back of the net since March 20.

At a time when Pacos de Ferreira have gone four matches with suffering defeat, Gil Vicente have posted one win and two draws from their most recent three outings.

The burst of points since the start of May has almost ended any concerns that they would have had about relegation, Gilistas now in a position where avoiding defeat to Friday's hosts or Boavista will be enough to keep them in this division.

Although Ricardo Soares will still have hopes of finishing higher than 10th spot, he will equally be satisfied with their current position, having suffered six defeats in seven after the turn of the year.

Gil Vicente have prevailed in four of their last five away fixtures, which is by far the best record of any team placed below the big three.

Team News

Pepa will consider handing a recall to Tanque, who could take the spot of Joao Pedro after he failed to impress against Maritimo.

Luther Singh could also come back into the Pacos de Ferreira starting lineup, but the defence and midfield should remain the same.

Barring any late fitness issues, Soares may be prepared to stick with the Gil Vicente XI which earned a draw with Braga.

While Pedrinho and Kanya Fujimoto have spent time in the team this season, they could stay among the replacements for this fixture.

Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Jordi; Fonseca, Marcelo, Baixinho, Rebocho; Carlos, Eustaquio, Costa; Singh, Tanque, Amaral

Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Denis; Paulinho, Rodrigao, Fernandes, Talocha; Mineiro, Carvalho, Goncalves; Leautey, Lino, Lourency

We say: Pacos de Ferreira 2-1 Gil Vicente

With both teams heading into this contest in good form, we expect a competitive encounter to play out on Friday.

However, with the added incentive of wanting to finish the season comfortably in fifth place, the home team could edge this fixture in the closing stages.