Moreirense vs Arouca – News and Probable Lineups

In round 27 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, two teams desperate for points meet as Moreirense welcomes Arouca at Parque de Jogo Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas this Saturday.

Os verdes e brancos have not secured a home win since narrowly defeating Santa Clara 1-0 on January 24, while their opponents have lost all three away fixtures since the start of February, eager to break their losing streak.

Match overview

Moreirense’s slim chances of European qualification took another hit last Sunday when they lost 3-0 to title contenders Porto at the Estadio do Dragao.

Gabri Veiga, Oskar Pietuszewski, and William Gomes scored in a formidable performance before their home crowd, marking Porto’s fourth consecutive victory over Moreirense and extending their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Currently, Moreirense is winless in their last four matches, with two losses and two draws, and have only managed one win out of their last seven games, which is proving difficult as the season winds down.

After gaining nine victories and three draws in their initial 19 matches, this dip in form has pushed Vasco Costa’s squad down to eighth place in the Primeira Liga, now 11 points behind Braga who holds the final Conference League qualifying spot.

With only eight games remaining, Moreirense understands the urgency to turn things around and can draw confidence from a solid home record against Arouca, having triumphed in all three league encounters at home since a 4-1 loss in December 2016.

On the flip side, Arouca faced humiliation last weekend in a tense match against Benfica, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca.

In a match where Alfonso Trezza and Amar Dedic were both sent off, Ivan Barbero put the home team ahead with a penalty in the seventh minute, only for Richard Rois to level the score in the 50th minute, and Franjo Ivanovic made it a complete comeback for Benfica in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

As a result, Arouca has now lost their last three matches, conceding six goals while scoring only twice, and they have only managed one win in their last five games, that being a 3-0 victory against ten-man Nacional on February 21.

To be fair, Arouca has been inconsistent this season and currently finds themselves at risk of relegation, sitting in 12th place with 26 points from 26 games, a mere four points clear of the relegation playoff spot.

While Arouca aims to halt their current slump this weekend, their away record offers little encouragement, having lost their last three away matches and failing to win nine out of their last 11 away games since late October.

Team News

Moreirense will take to the field missing several key players, including defender Alvaro Martinez, midfielder Vasco Sousa, and forward Cedric Teguia, who are all sidelined.

They are joined on the injury list by Brazilian trio Landerson, defender Michel, and 23-year-old Yan Maranhao, who will also not participate in this weekend’s fixture.

For Arouca, Seabra will be without Uruguayan striker Trezza, who is serving a suspension after being sent off in the match against Benfica.

Barbero will also miss Saturday’s match due to suspension, having reached the yellow card threshold with his booking last weekend against Benfica, while Pedro Santos remains unavailable through injury.

Spanish midfielder Mateo Flores has been absent for the last seven matches since picking up an injury against Sporting Lisbon in January and will not be available for the Arouquenses.

Moreirense probable starting XI:

Ferreira; Travassos, Batista, Maracas; Kiko, Stjepanovic, Alanzinho, Alonso; Kind, Semedo, Araujo

Arouca probable starting XI:

De Arruabarrena; Monteiro, Sanchez, Fountain, Kuipers; Fukui, Van Ee; Garcia, Lee, Djouahra; Nandin

Both Moreirense and Arouca approach this weekend’s match seeking a positive result, having failed to secure a win in their last four matches.

With dropped points potentially impacting Moreirense’s already limited chances of finishing in the top six, they are anticipated to go all out for the win in front of their home fans and aim for the desired outcome.