Amadora Star vs. Gil Vicente – News and Probable Lineups

The Portuguese Primeira Liga is back with an exciting round of fixtures as Estrela Amadora takes on Gil Vicente at the Estadio Jose Gomes this Sunday.

While the home team is facing relegation concerns, Gil Vicente is still aiming for a return to European competition and could narrow the gap to Braga, who currently occupy the UEFA Conference League qualifying spot, to just two points.

Match overview

As the season approaches its conclusion, Estrela Amadora continues to struggle, dropping important points as they settled for a goalless draw against bottom-placed AVS at the Estadio do CD das Aves last Saturday.

Both teams were unable to capitalize on their chances, with a total of 27 shots taken, but neither goalkeeper had to retrieve the ball from the net, resulting in a well-deserved draw.

Estrela Amadora has had a tough start to the new year, with two wins and one draw from their four matches in December feeding into a run where they have not won in eight of their nine matches across all competitions, suffering four defeats and four draws in that timeframe.

This dismal stretch has led Joao Nuno’s squad to find themselves caught in a relegation battle, currently sitting 12th in the Primeira Liga with 24 points from 24 matches, five points clear of Tondela in the 16th place relegation playoff zone.

Next on the agenda for Estrela is a clash against a team they haven’t been able to beat in four of their last five encounters since January 2024, resulting in two wins and two draws, during which they scored seven goals and maintained two clean sheets.

Meanwhile, Gil Vicente faced back-to-back defeats in the Primeira Liga for the first time since April 2025, losing 2-1 to Benfica last Monday at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

Antonio Silva opened the scoring in the 35th minute, providing Benfica the lead at halftime. After Hector Hernandez equalized in the 51st minute, Andreas Schjelderup found the net again in the 73rd to secure a tense win for the visitors.

This came after a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on February 22, which ended a streak of three straight victories in the league for Gil Vicente.

Despite their recent setbacks, Cesar Peixoto’s side remains in contention for European qualifications, currently in fifth place in the Primeira Liga with 40 points from 24 games, five points adrift of Braga who occupy the final Conference League qualifying position.

While Gil Vicente aims to regain momentum and push for a top-four finish, their away form is worrying, having not secured a win in six of their seven away fixtures since the beginning of October.

Team News

Estrela experienced a double injury setback against AVS last time, with Sydney van Hooijdonk and Jefferson Encada both leaving the pitch with injuries midway through the second half and will not participate in this weekend’s match.

New addition Bruno Langa has been sidelined for the last three matches after picking up an injury during his debut against Santa Clara on February 7 and will also not be available for selection this weekend.

Twenty-three-year-old Leandro Antonetti did not feature against AVS due to injury and is doubtful for Sunday’s encounter.

On the other hand, Gil Vicente will be missing the French duo of striker Tidjany Toure and defender Jonathan Mutombo, who remain unavailable as they recover from their injuries.

Joining them on the injury list is midfielder Mohamed Bamba, 21, who has been absent for the last five games after sustaining an injury against Porto in January.

Estrela Amadora probable starting XI:

Ribeiro; Doue, Schappo, Lekovic, Galdino; Jansson; Marcus. Stoica, Moreira, Cabral; Pine

Gil Vicente probable starting XI:

Lucao; Ze Carlos, Mananga, Elimbi, Konan; Caceres, Stephen; Souza, Garcia, Moreira; Hernandez

Following a loss of six points in their last two fixtures, Gil Vicente will be eager to find their form this weekend as they look to close the gap to the European qualifying spots.

The Gilistas face a struggling Estrela side, who have managed just one victory this year, and we anticipate they may do just enough to clinch all three points at the Estadio Jose Gomes.