At serious risk of relegation from the Primeira Liga, struggling SC Farense will welcome Casa Pia to the Estadio de Sao Luis on Monday.
The Lions of Faro will be desperate to stop the rot after failing to win any of their matches in 2025 so far, while Os Gansos will be looking to record back-to-back victories for the first time since January.
Match preview
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Toze Marreco's Farense closed out 2024 with just one defeat from their final seven games, but having lost consecutive matches once again ahead of Monday, as well as eight of their 12 fixtures this year, they are on the brink of demotion.
On Wednesday, the Lions of Faro travelled to face title-chasing Benfica, and to their credit, they gave a good account of themselves by remaining competitive despite eventually losing 3-2 to the Champions League regulars.
That loss left Toze's side 17th in the table with 17 points, and with only seven games to play, they are a worrying six points behind AVS in the division's relegation playoff spot and trail by the same number behind 15th-placed Estrela, the first club outside the drop zone.
With significant ground to make up on their rivals, Monday's hosts will know how valuable a rare win could be for their campaign, though given that they have recorded six consecutive home defeats leading up to this clash, and just one triumph on their own turf since early October, the Lions of Faro may have to source points for their survival push elsewhere.
Additionally, Farense have failed to score in any of their last four games at Estadio de Sao Luis, but their performance against As Aguias could inspire some confidence in the floundering relegation contenders.
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Meanwhile, Joao Pereira's Casa Pia have been inconsistent in the second part of the season, and have only avoided back-to-back losses on one occasion so far in 2025.
Last time out, Os Gansos ended a three-game losing streak when they came from behind to beat Rio Ave 2-1 on March 29, courtesy of goals from Cassiano and Duplexe Tchamba either side of half time.
Taking maximum points in their first match after the international break has Pereira's men in eighth prior to kick off, where they are one point behind seventh-placed Famalicao but an insurmountable 17 behind Sporting Braga in the European places.
Despite the fact that Monday's visitors are no longer realistically in the race for UEFA competition next season, they will still be looking to finish 2024-25 as strongly as possible, though given that they have won only one of their away matches this calendar year, as well as losing their last four on the road, their relegation-threatened opposition could pose a threat.
Should Casa Pia manage to take all three points on their trip to Farense, then they could leapfrog Famalicao and move to within three points of Vitoria Guimaraes and four of fifth-placed Santa Clara.
Team News
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Farense could be without right-winger Elves Balde after he missed their clash against Benfica due to a thigh injury, so expect to see Tomane and Rony Lopes up top once again, supported from the flanks by wing-backs Pastor and Derick Poloni.
Centre-back Marco Moreno also missed out against As Aguias and is a doubt for this clash, so Artur Jorge, Claudio Falcao and Tomas Ribeiro should start in Toze's back three on Monday.
As for Casa Pia, right-sided centre-back Ruben Kluivert is suspended for this week's game due to accumulating yellow cards, so Joao Goulart is likely to join Jose Fonte and Duplexe Tchamba in the backline.
Elsewhere, long-term absentee forwards Kiki Silva and Claudio Mendes remain sidelined, though Pereira's front three of Miguel Sousa, Cassiano and Oluwakorede Osundina should be enough to handle their relegation-threatened opposition.
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Velho; Pastor, Jorge, Falcao, Ribeiro, Poloni; Carlos, Neto, Menino; Lopes, Tomane
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Goulart, Fonte, Tchamba; Larrazabal, Kraev, Pablo, Lelo; Osundina, Cassiano, Sousa
We say: SC Farense 1-1 Casa Pia
Farense are in a desperate situation as the threat of demotion becomes more tangible by the week, so expect them to make things difficult for Casa Pia, who have been poor on the road this year.
However, the Lions of Faro are yet to win a single match in 2025, and though they could add to their tally, they are unlikely to change that unfortunate record on Monday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
