National vs. Casa Pia – News and Probable Lineups

After achieving a surprising victory against league front-runners Porto, Casa Pia travels to the Estadio da Madeira to clash with Nacional during round 21 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga this Sunday.

While the home team aims for a top-half finish, Os Gansos will seek to secure consecutive wins for the first time in more than a year and distance themselves from the relegation zone.

Match overview

Following an impressive win over Rio Ave the previous week, Nacional found themselves brought back to reality as they lost 2-1 against Sporting Lisbon last Sunday at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

After a scoreless first half, Pedro Goncalves opened the scoring in the 72nd minute, propelling Sporting Lisbon ahead, but Alan Nunez equalized for the visitors in the 76th minute. In dramatic fashion, Luis Javier Suarez scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time, allowing the Leoes to secure all three points.

Before this, Nacional ended their four-game winless streak on January 25, cruising to a 4-0 victory against Rio Ave at the Estadio da Madeira, with goals from Gabriel Veron, Jesus Ramirez, Leo Santos, and Witi.

Despite the setback last weekend, head coach Tiago Margarido is likely to take encouragement from his team’s determined performance against the 21-time champions Sporting Lisbon, which could signal better fortunes as the season progresses.

Nacional has experienced ten losses in their 20 Primeira Liga matches this season, securing five wins and five draws to amass 20 points, positioning them in 11th place, tied on points with Estrela Amadora, Rio Ave, and Arouca.

Conversely, Casa Pia pulled off one of the significant surprises in the league on Monday, managing an impressive 2-1 win against Porto, handing the league leaders their first defeat of the season at the Estadio do Dragao.

With Gaizka Larrazabal striking first in the 12th minute, an own goal by Tiago Silva just before halftime doubled Os Gansos’ lead, but Pablo Rosario responded for Porto in the 46th minute.

Casa Pia had struggled at home prior to this, failing to win any of their last nine Primeira Liga fixtures at their ground, managing four losses and five draws. This included a frustrating 3-3 draw against AVS on January 23, where they squandered a three-goal lead in the final quarter of the match at the Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior.

Alvaro Pacheco’s team has only recorded four wins out of their 20 Primeira Liga matches, alongside ten losses and six draws, leaving them with 18 points and positioned 15th in the league table, standing one point above 16th-placed Santa Clara, which is in the relegation playoff zone.

While Casa Pia aims to build on their triumph over Porto, they will need to perform at their best at the Estádio da Madeira, having not won six of their last seven away matches, with five losses and one draw since late September.

Team News

Nacional are still without the services of Cape Verde international Ivanildo Fernandes and Brazilian defender Ulisses, both of whom continue their lengthy recoveries.

They also face absences from Portuguese defender Joao Aurelio, who has missed the last two encounters, and Filipe Soares, another teammate, who has been unavailable since November.

French defender Lenny Vallier has sat out the previous three matches due to injury, casting doubt over his availability for this weekend’s fixture.

Casa Pia has their own injury troubles as Kiki Silva and Camarõesian defender Duplexe Tchamba remain sidelined.

Brazillian defender Kaique Rocha is set to miss his tenth consecutive match due to a muscle injury, while Jose Fonte and Sebastian Perez have been absent from the last two fixtures with injuries.

Daniel Sousa adds to the defensive woes for Os Gansos, as the 24-year-old Brazilian is expected to miss this weekend’s game due to suspension after receiving a yellow card against Porto in the last match.

Nacional probable starting XI:

Pereira; Nunez, Santos, Ze Vitor; Gomes, Silva, Dias; Liziero, Junior, Ramirez, Boia

Casa Pia probable starting XI:

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

Empowered by their notable win against Porto, Casa Pia approaches the weekend in high spirits, eager to distance themselves from the relegation zone. However, Nacional has shown impressive form at home recently, securing two wins and a draw from their last three fixtures, leading us to predict they may come away with a shared point.