Arouca vs Nacional - prediction, team news, lineups

Arouca volition look to proceed their awesome resurgence nether caput manager Vitor Severino erstwhile they instrumentality connected Nacional astatine the Estadio Municipal de Arouca successful circular 10 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga connected Sunday.

While the location broadside are closing successful connected a 4th triumph connected the bounce for the archetypal clip since February 2024, Nacional snapped their tally of 7 consecutive defeats with a hard-fought triumph implicit Braga past clip retired and volition look to physique connected that result.

Match preview

Nine games into the 2026-27 Primeira Liga season, Arouca tin instrumentality pridefulness successful what has been a coagulated league campaign, with a back-to-back league triumph implicit Estrela Amadora and Alverca successful their astir caller 2 league outings highlighting their upward trajectory aft a flimsy dip successful momentum backmost successful September.

Against Alverca past Saturday, the Arouquenses made the astir of their numerical vantage aft defender Steven Baseya received an aboriginal bath for a unsafe tackle successful the ninth minute, with Taichi Fukui finishing disconnected a well-worked squad extremity close connected the changeable of fractional clip to descend the hosts astatine the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca.

Sandwiched betwixt the 2 league victories, Arouca turned successful a resilient squad show to support their Taca de Portugal contention live connected October 18, erstwhile they secured a 4-3 triumph implicit Belenenses, with Fally Mayulu netting the all-important extremity 15 minutes into other clip astatine the Estadio bash Restelo.

With 3 wins successful his archetypal 3 games astatine the helm of affairs, newly-appointed Severino has instantly made his people successful bluish Portugal, restoring momentum arsenic Arouca person their sights connected European qualification for the archetypal clip since the 2023-24 campaign.

Coming disconnected an eighth-placed decorativeness past season, this weekend’s hosts person picked up 5 wins and 2 draws from their 9 Primeira Liga matches truthful acold to beryllium 5th successful the league table, but a triumph could instrumentality them wrong 1 constituent of their-placed Sporting CP.

Key to Arouca’s promising commencement has been their coagulated show astatine home, wherever they person picked up the fourth-most points this play (9) with 3 wins and 1 decision successful 4 matches, portion antiaircraft solidity has seen them concede conscionable 7 goals truthful acold — lone Santa Clara (6) and league leaders Porto (4) person allowed fewer.

On the different hand, aft weeks of mediocre results, Nacional yet stopped the rot past Sunday erstwhile they held connected to spot retired a 1-0 triumph implicit Braga astatine the Estadio da Madeira.

Despite seeing implicit 60% possession and dictating the preceding, Braga were blameworthy of a deficiency of cutting borderline astatine the attacking extremity of the pitch, with Miguel Baeza’s 19th-minute onslaught proving decisive to manus the hosts 3 immense points nether interim manager Bruno Abreu.

This was a much-needed effect for Nacional coming disconnected 7 consecutive defeats crossed each competitions, a tally which saw Alexandre Santos relieved of his relation arsenic caput manager aft crashing retired of the Taca de Portugal successful a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Campeonato de Portugal broadside AD Sanjoanense connected October 17.

The Madeira outfit person picked up 2 wins and 1 gully from what has been a hard opening 9 matches to cod 7 points and beryllium 15th successful the Primeira Liga standings, level connected points with Rio Ave and Casa Pia successful the relegation zone.

While Nacional volition look to physique connected their effect against Braga and surge from the doldrums, 4 consecutive defeats against Arouca and conscionable 1 triumph from their erstwhile 10 encounters connection small country for optimism up of the travel to the Estadio Municipal de Arouca this weekend.

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

Arouca signifier (all competitions):

Nacional Primeira Liga form:

Nacional signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Arouca volition instrumentality to the transportation without Croatian midfielder Gabriel Rukavina, who is presently suspended aft picking up a reddish paper for improper behaviour portion connected the seat against Alverca past weekend.

On the wounded front, Miguel Puche has been sidelined since sustaining a genu occupation against Estrela Amadora backmost successful April, and the Spanish guardant is retired of contention for this weekend’s tie.

Nacional, meanwhile, stay without respective players down the spine of the team, with Leo Santos (knee), Felipe Soares (muscle) and Ulisses (collarbone) each recuperating from injuries.

Having missed each of the past 3 matches since his 18-minute cameo against Famalicao successful September, Brazilian defender Wesley Gasolina is simply a uncertainty for the visitors, alongside chap countryman Liziero.

Arouca imaginable starting lineup:

De Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Sanchez, Fontan, Lebedenko; Van Ee, Santos; Trezza, Fukui, Djouahra; Barbero

Nacional imaginable starting lineup:

Marin; Kokolo, Ze Vitor, Goncalves, Jensen; Baeza, Labidi; Song, Djalo, Gavriel; Njoya

We say: Arouca 2-0 Nacional

Arouca person enjoyed a coagulated commencement to the campaign, establishing themselves arsenic 1 of the teams to bushed arsenic they look to fortify their presumption successful the precocious echelons of the standings. The Arouquenses are firing connected each cylinders nether Severino, and portion we expect Nacional to enactment up a combat astatine the Estadio Municipal de Arouca, we foretell the hosts' prime crossed the transportation volition spot them instrumentality each 3 points erstwhile again.

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