Arouca vs Estoril – News and Probable Lineups

Arouca will look to build on their recent performance as they host Estoril Praia in round 28 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Monday, aiming to continue their momentum after the international break.

Conversely, Estoril enters the fixture seeking their first win at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca since August 2021, with hopes of securing European football still intact.

Match overview

After a series of unsatisfactory results, Arouca finally provided their supporters with a reason to celebrate in their last match, securing a 1-0 win over Moreirense on March 21.

After a goalless first half at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas, substitute Miguel Puche broke the deadlock for the visitors in the 67th minute, handing Moreirense their third defeat in a row.

This victory came as a crucial morale boost for Arouca, who had faced defeats in their previous three fixtures against Porto, Famalicao, and Benfica, conceding six goals while scoring just twice.

With only eight victories from 27 Primeira Liga matches this season, Vasco Seabra’s squad is still flirting with relegation dangers, currently sitting 12th in the league with 29 points, just five points above the relegation zone.

Arouca managed to keep only their sixth clean sheet against Moreirense in their last match, highlighting their struggles this campaign, having conceded 55 goals so far, which stands as the second-highest in the league, trailing only the bottom-placed AVS (61).

On the flip side, Estoril Praia encountered another setback in their pursuit of European qualification, suffering a 2-1 loss against Rio Ave at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in their last match.

Ferro gave the home team an early lead in the 16th minute, but Jakub Brabec equalized for Rio Ave in the 54th minute, and Spanish forward Jalen Blesa completed the comeback with a penalty in the 74th minute.

Estoril Praia’s form has been inconsistent in the latter half of the season, with three losses and two wins from their last seven matches. This contrasts with their strong earlier performance when they secured three consecutive victories over Estrela Amadora, Vitoria de Guimaraes, and Santa Clara back in January.

Ian Cathro’s side has registered 10 losses in 27 Primeira Liga matches, achieving 10 wins and seven draws, totaling 37 points and placing them seventh in the league, 12 points adrift of fourth-placed Braga in the race for Conference League qualification as they head into the final seven matches.

While Estoril will aim to bounce back on Monday, they have struggled at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca in their last three matches there, registering two defeats and one draw, with only one win in their last nine visits since August 2013.

Team News

Hyun-ju Lee and Uruguayan forward Dylan Nandin were both injured in the match against Moreirense and will miss out on the upcoming fixture on Monday.

In their absence, Spanish forward Miguel Puche is expected to lead the Arouca attack, and Pedro Santos may be granted his ninth league start this season in midfield.

Mateo Flores has missed the last eight matches since sustaining an injury against Sporting Lisbon in January and will also be unavailable for Arouca.

For Estoril Praia, Kevin Boma has been sidelined with a muscle injury since February, ruling him out of the trip to the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.

Aside from that, Estoril reports no major injury concerns or suspensions, providing Cathro with a largely healthy squad to choose from for Monday’s match.

Arouca probable starting XI:

De Arruabarrena; Esgaio, Sanchez, Fontan, Kuipers; Van Ee, Fukui; Santos, Gozalbez, Djouahra; Puche

Estoril Praia probable starting XI:

Robles; Carvalho, Ferro, Bacher, Sanchez; Xeka, Tsoungui, Holsgrove; Guitane, Begraoui, Carvalho

With both Arouca and Estoril experiencing difficulties in maintaining form, predicting the outcome of this match is quite challenging, as both teams will be optimistic about securing a positive result.

On paper, the teams appear evenly matched, and as we anticipate an engaging contest at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca, it seems likely they may end up sharing the points.