Casa Pia vs Arouca – News and Probable Lineups

Casa Pia aims to achieve back-to-back home victories in the Primeira Liga for the first time since November 2022 as they host Arouca in round 22 this Saturday.

A win could allow the home team to create a five-point gap above the relegation zone, while Arouca travels to Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior seeking their third consecutive victory as they strive to break into the top half of the league.

Match overview

After pulling off a remarkable win against league champions Porto two weeks ago, Casa Pia returned to normality last Sunday with a goalless draw against Nacional at Estadio da Madeira.

Os Gansos had merely 31% possession of the ball, yet Nacional failed to capitalize on their extended periods of control, lacking decisiveness in front of goal as they squandered several scoring opportunities.

This followed closely after what was considered one of the biggest upsets of the season, where Casa Pia secured a 2-1 win over Porto, marking the league leaders’ first loss of the season courtesy of a goal from Gaizka Larrazabal in the 12th minute and an own goal from Tiago Silva.

The stalemate on Sunday means that Casa Pia has missed out on additional points, but head coach Alvaro Pacheco is likely to find positives in his squad’s recent performances, as the Lisbon side has remained unbeaten in six of their last eight league encounters, securing two victories and four draws after failing to win in the preceding eight matches.

This shift in results has seen Pacheco’s side move out of the troublesome relegation spots, as they currently stand 15th in the Primeira Liga with 19 points from 21 matches, sitting two points ahead of 16th-placed Santa Clara, who is in the relegation playoff position.

Meanwhile, Arouca exhibited great tenacity last Saturday by scoring three unanswered goals to recover from a two-goal deficit at halftime and secure an exciting 3-2 win against Vitoria de Guimaraes on their own ground.

Noah Saviolo and Oumar Camara scored early to put Guimaraes ahead at Estadio Municipal de Arouca, but Alfonso Trezza, Ivan Barbero, and Hyun-ju Lee responded to turn the match around for the home team.

Having struggled for consistency for much of the season, the display last weekend was a significant positive for Arouca, who have won three of their last four outings after managing only one win in their prior ten matches.

A key factor in their recent resurgence has been their attacking prowess, with Vasco Seabra’s side netting 11 goals across the last six Primeira Liga fixtures after registering a total of 11 in the previous 15 matches this season.

The Arouquenses have now achieved six wins out of 21 league matches, with ten losses and five draws, gathering 23 points and positioning themselves 12th in the standings, level on points with 11th-placed Estrela Amadora and six points clear of the relegation zone.

As Arouca sets its sights on a third consecutive victory to surpass 10th-placed Alverca, they face the tough task of overcoming an opponent who has eluded them in their last five meetings, with four defeats and one draw since their last win, a 2-0 triumph in February 2023.

Team News

Casa Pia will continue to miss Camarõesian defender Duplexe Tchamba, who has been sidelined with an injury since December, while Kiki Silva is still on his way to full recovery from a knee injury.

Sebastian Perez has been absent for the last three matches and remains uncertain for this weekend’s fixture, and veteran defender Jose Fonte has been out since suffering an injury against Sporting Lisbon in January.

For Arouca, head coach Seabra will not have the services of Spanish midfielder Mateo Flores, who is expected to miss his third consecutive match due to a muscle issue.

Joining him on the injury list is fellow midfielder Pedro Santos, who has not featured in the last four games due to an injury sustained against Tondela on January 3.

Trezza, with his goal against Vitoria de Guimaraes last time out, has achieved double-digit contributions to Arouca’s scoring this season, and the Uruguaian midfielder—who has scored seven times—will be one to monitor closely.

Casa Pia possible starting XI:

Sequeira; Geraldes, Goulart, Gabriel; Larrazabal, Ofori, Brito, Conte; Livolant, Cassiano, Morais

Arouca probable starting XI:

Arruabar’s; Esgaio, Kuipers, Sanchez, Fontan; Van Ee, Fukui, Lee; Trezza, Djouahra, Barbero

Both Casa Pia and Arouca have shown improvement in their form and will seek to sustain their positive run of results as the season’s conclusion approaches.

Casa Pia holds a strong home record against Arouca, but it is anticipated that both teams will do enough to thwart each other’s efforts at Estadio Municipal de Rio Maior.