Casa Pia vs Tondela - prediction, team news, lineups

Separated by 1 spot and 4 points adjacent the ft of the Primeira Liga table, Casa Pia invited Tondela to Rio Maior for Sunday’s endurance six-pointer.

With 3 games near to play, the 16th-placed hosts beryllium 2 points adrift of outright information and 4 supra this weekend’s visitors successful 17th, mounting up an intriguing contention that could beryllium decisive successful the relegation battle.

Match preview

The assignment of Alvaro Pacheco successful aboriginal January initially appeared to spark an upturn for Casa Pia, whose lone decision successful the 54-year-old’s archetypal 5 matches successful complaint (W2, D2) came distant to defending champions Sporting Lisbon.

However, that resilience has since faded into a nine-match winless run, with the Geese losing 5 times during that stretch, including Monday’s 2-1 decision successful Barcelos, wherever Cassiano’s 45th-minute punishment equaliser yet proved successful vain, arsenic Murilo de Souza completed his brace aft the interval to manus Gil Vicente maximum points.

That effect saw Casa Pia endure back-to-back Primeira Liga defeats pursuing a 1-0 setback to Braga 4 days earlier, and Os Gansos are present astatine hazard of losing 3 consecutive league matches for the archetypal clip this season.

The hosts’ caller downturn tin beryllium linked to issues successful the last third, having drawn a blank successful 5 of their past 9 outings, portion managing to find the nett nary much than erstwhile successful each of the different 4 — a drop-off from the erstwhile 4 games, wherever they scored astatine slightest doubly successful three.

Casa Pia person besides struggled defensively, conceding 55 goals this play — lone Arouca (60) and AVS (65) person shipped much — leaving Pacheco with concerns astatine some ends up of Sunday’s important clash.

A instrumentality to Estadio Pina Manique should supply immoderate encouragement, however, arsenic Os Gansos person mislaid lone 1 of their past 9 league matches astatine the ground, though conscionable 2 of those games ended successful victory, accounting for each their location wins successful the Primeira Liga this play (D8, L5).

Like the hosts, Tondela get connected a lengthy winless streak, having gone 8 matches without triumph (D4, L4), contempt a managerial change, with Goncalo Feio overseeing 4 of those fixtures since taking complaint connected March 29.   

Fero has overseen 2-0 defeats to Porto and Nacional either broadside of 2-2 draws with Gil Vicente and Sporting, and the Portuguese manager volition person taken large encouragement from his side’s spirited comeback to rescue a constituent astatine Estadio Jose Alvalade connected Wednesday.

Trailing 2-0 precocious connected aft conceding done Luis Suarez and a Joao Silva ain goal, Tondela struck doubly successful stoppage clip done Salvador Blopa, who inadvertently turned the shot into his ain net, and a Cicero effort to debar a 3rd successive decision and support their hopes of endurance alive.

Victory present would further boost the Gold and Greens’ chances of avoiding an contiguous instrumentality to the 2nd tier, though conscionable 3 wins from 15 distant league games this play (D3, L9) connection constricted origin for optimism.

History besides provides small comfortableness for the visitors, who mislaid the lone erstwhile gathering betwixt the sides, going down 2-1 successful December’s reverse fixture astatine Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Tondela Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Casa Pia are expected to stay without erstwhile Southampton defender Jose Fonte, who has missed the past 5 matches since being forced disconnected injured successful March.

Winter signing Pedro Rosas volition besides miss retired done suspension aft accumulating 5 yellowish cards crossed Liga 2 and the Primeira Liga this season, pursuing his booking past clip out.

Cassiano’s onslaught against Gil Vicente ended a six-match drought, and the seasoned guardant volition present purpose to people successful successive league appearances for lone the 2nd clip this term.

Meanwhile, Tondela are sweating implicit the fittingness of Helder Tavares, who was forced disconnected during the 2nd fractional of the midweek clash astatine Sporting, making him a large doubt.

Pedro Maranhao remains the club’s starring scorer with six league goals, though the winger has failed to nett successful each of his past 7 appearances and volition anticipation to extremity that barren run.

Meanwhile, midfielder Cicero is besides pushing for a starting spot aft his influential show from the seat past clip out.

Casa Pia imaginable starting lineup:

Sequeira; Goulart, Geraldes, Sousa; Larrazabal, Mohamed, Brito, Rosas; Livolant, Cassiano, Marques

Tondela imaginable starting lineup:

Bernardo; Manso, A Silva, Marques, Conceicao; Hodge, Rodriguez, Felix; Maranhao, R Lopes, Ouattara

We say: Casa Pia 1-1 Tondela

Victory for Casa Pia, combined with favourable results elsewhere, would assistance them into 15th, portion occurrence for Tondela could besides importantly fortify their endurance hopes.

However, with some teams enduring agelong winless runs and neither showing overmuch cutting borderline successful attack, a tense and low-scoring gully looks the astir apt outcome.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.