Moreirense vs. AVS – News and Probable Lineups

Moreirense is set to complete their Primeira Liga campaign facing AVS in the season’s final match at the Parque de Jogo Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas on Saturday.

Os verdes e brancos have encountered difficulties in the final stretch of the season, whereas the already-relegated visitors have made notable improvements in recent weeks and will aim to exit on a high note.

Match overview

Moreirense had another tough away match on Monday, suffering a 2-0 loss to Tondela, who are battling relegation, at the Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Desperate for all three points to keep their survival chances alive, Tondela took the lead in the 18th minute through a close-range strike from Makan Aiko, and veteran forward Rony Lopes extended the margin with a stunning left-footed shot in the 60th minute.

Moreirense has now gone five consecutive away matches without a victory, suffering three defeats and managing two draws, with only one win in their last eight away games since they overcame AVS 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in January.

Under Vasco Costa, the team has recorded 15 losses across their 33 Primeira Liga fixtures this season, alongside 12 wins and six draws, earning a total of 42 points and placing them eighth in the league table, equal on points with seventh-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Moreirense will seek to capitalize on home advantage after winning their last two matches at Moreira de Conegos, including a narrow 1-0 win over Estoril Praia on April 20 and a 3-2 victory against Estrela Amadora two weeks later.

In what has been a commendable late-season performance, AVS has gathered nine of their 20 league points in the last five fixtures, including an unexpected 3-1 win over champions Porto last Sunday.

Eight days after securing a 2-1 victory over Nacional, their first win since February 21, a double from 27-year-old midfielder Ronj and Aderllan Santos’s 80th-minute goal allowed AVS to end a three-match losing streak against the Dragoes.

Joao Henriques’s side is currently on a five-match unbeaten run, with two wins and three draws, equaling their longest undefeated streak since a series of five consecutive draws from December 2024 to January 2025.

Nonetheless, the resurgence of the Vila das Aves team has come too late to save them, as they sit last in the standings, nine points adrift of the relegation playoff spot, marking the end of their brief two-year period in the top division.

AVS is aiming for a third straight win to conclude their season honorably, but they face a Moreirense side that they have not beaten in their last four encounters, recording three losses and one draw since January 2025.

Team News

Moreirense will be without Brazilian defender Maracas, suspended after receiving a straight red card towards the end of the fixture against Tondela.

In his place, 22-year-old Gilberto Batista is expected to step in for his 21st league appearance, joining Fabiano Souza, Kevyn Monteiro, and Paraguayan full-back Daniel Rivas in the defensive lineup.

On the injury front, Portuguese midfielder Vasco Sousa and 25-year-old defender Dinis Pinto are both recuperating from leg and muscle injuries, respectively, while Palmeiras loanee Michel Augusto has been sidelined since January due to a muscle issue.

Meanwhile, Antoine Baroan will miss this weekend’s match as the AVS striker has been out since his injury in the Taca de Portugal match against Sporting Lisbon in February.

Brazilian defender Mateus Pivo was substituted due to injury shortly after half-time against Porto and will also be unavailable for the away trip to Moreira de Conegos.

Moreirense probable starting XI:

Gaius; Fabiano, Monteiro, Batista, Travassos; Assis, Rodri; Landerson, Stjepanovic, Bondoso; Alanzinho

AVS probable starting XI:

Adriel; Rivas, Vitor, Devenish, Galletto; Akinsola, Lima, Roni, Mendonca; Neiva, Duarte

AVS has rallied towards the end of the season, and although their revival has come too late to change their fate, they can take pride in their recent form. Meanwhile, Moreirense has had a mixed bag of results lately, but they possess the individual quality on paper to edge past an energized AVS side.