With the title race as good as decided in Portugal, attention turns to the fight for Europa League qualification and the battle to avoid relegation.
On Saturday night two of Portugal’s most historical teams, Vitoria Guimaraes and Vitoria Setubal go head to head at the Dom Afonso Henriques stadium. The former need the win to keep on track for a return to European football, while the latter are in desperate need of points to avoid dropping ever deeper in relegation trouble.
In Figueira da Foz Carlos Mozer’s superb attempt to mastermind a miraculous escape from relegation could be given a significant boost if Naval overcome struggling Maritimo, while Portimonense will be hoping to cause a surprise at Benfica. The Eagles are in the middle of a finely balanced Europa League tie against PSG and are likely to field a weakened side.
The Dragons may well follow suit for the same reason against Uniao de Leiria, but even a second-string Porto will surely have too much for Leiria. Struggling Sporting travel to in-form Rio Ave. The Lions will be hoping to build on a rare victory last week.
The weekend action kicks off on Friday with Paços looking to extend their 12-game unbeaten run. So impressive have the Castores been this season that coach Rui Vitoria was rewarded last week with a one-year extension to his contract.
In stark contrast, Beira-Mar are in freefall, having lost six and drawn two of their last eight games, failing to score in six of those.
Sporting got a rare win under their belts last week at home to Beira-Mar, albeit a distinctly unimpressive one. Interim coach Jose Couceiro has talked up the importance of getting back to winning ways, and will be hoping for signs of a more solid recuperation against Rio Ave.
However, Carlos Brito has quietly overseen a dramatic improvement in Rio Ave’s season. The Vila do Conde club have won four straight games in the league to banish relegation fears.
Rio Ave’s recent success has been built on a rock solid defense – no goals conceded in their last four matches – and when you have the evergreen Joao Tomas and the sprightly Yazalde in the side you are always capable of nicking a winner.
The game between the two Vitorias is arguably the stand-out fixture of the weekend. Guimaraes have found it hard to maintain consistency, especially since the turn of the year, but Manuel Machado’s side remain in the thick of the fight for Europa League qualification.
Vitoria Setubal, on the other hand, are battling hard to keep abreast of the relegation places. With the bottom two teams Portimonense and Naval picking up points on a regular basis, the Sadinos are now just four points above the drop zone and in desperate need of adding to their single win in the league since October with a victory or two.
Nacional have been hovering just outside the European places for most of the season. A win against lowly Academica could well launch the islanders on a successful home straight that sees Europa League action return to Madeira. Pedrag Jokanovic’s team would appear to have the easiest run-in of all the candidates for European qualification.
A potentially crucial episode in Carlos Mozer’s carefully orchestrated attempts to engineer Naval’s great escape will be played out in Figueira da Foz on Sunday. The Brazilian took over a team that looked doomed in the winter break and has brought about a remarkable improvement.
Currently unbeaten in eight games, a win for Naval will pull them to within three points of Maritimo – a team enduring its worst campaign for many a year.
Benfica’s defeat last weekend away at Braga all but ended their remote hopes of retaining the Portuguese championship title.
As such, coach Jorge Jesus will be extremely tempted to rest several players ahead of their crucial Europa League second-leg match against PSG on Thursday. The tie is finely balanced after a 2-1 victory for Benfica in Lisbon, but that match served to highlight the fact that several of Benfica's players are running on desperately low reserves of energy.
Portimonense have given themselves a glimmer of hope of remaining in the top flight in recent weeks. Carlos Azenha’s team are still sitting bottom of the table, but two draws and a win in their last three matches suggests the Algarve outfit will not go down without a fight.
FC Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas is not a fan of the rotation policy. However, with the Liga ZON Sagres practically guaranteed, the Porto boss may be tempted to rest some of his key players in the Monday fixture.
The game takes place just three days before the Dragons attempt to complete a Europa League victory over CSKA Moscow, with Porto defending a narrow 1-0 lead.
Nevertheless, even a second-string Porto side are likely to be hot for Uniao de Leiria to handle. The Lis have fallen away dramatically since Christmas, earning just five points from a possible 24. Leiria were thumped 5-1 at the Estadio do Dragao earlier in the season and if Porto decide to put their foot on the accelerator a similar result is not out of the question.
In Figueira da Foz Carlos Mozer’s superb attempt to mastermind a miraculous escape from relegation could be given a significant boost if Naval overcome struggling Maritimo, while Portimonense will be hoping to cause a surprise at Benfica. The Eagles are in the middle of a finely balanced Europa League tie against PSG and are likely to field a weakened side.
The Dragons may well follow suit for the same reason against Uniao de Leiria, but even a second-string Porto will surely have too much for Leiria. Struggling Sporting travel to in-form Rio Ave. The Lions will be hoping to build on a rare victory last week.
The weekend action kicks off on Friday with Paços looking to extend their 12-game unbeaten run. So impressive have the Castores been this season that coach Rui Vitoria was rewarded last week with a one-year extension to his contract.
In stark contrast, Beira-Mar are in freefall, having lost six and drawn two of their last eight games, failing to score in six of those.
Sporting got a rare win under their belts last week at home to Beira-Mar, albeit a distinctly unimpressive one. Interim coach Jose Couceiro has talked up the importance of getting back to winning ways, and will be hoping for signs of a more solid recuperation against Rio Ave.
However, Carlos Brito has quietly overseen a dramatic improvement in Rio Ave’s season. The Vila do Conde club have won four straight games in the league to banish relegation fears.
Rio Ave’s recent success has been built on a rock solid defense – no goals conceded in their last four matches – and when you have the evergreen Joao Tomas and the sprightly Yazalde in the side you are always capable of nicking a winner.
The game between the two Vitorias is arguably the stand-out fixture of the weekend. Guimaraes have found it hard to maintain consistency, especially since the turn of the year, but Manuel Machado’s side remain in the thick of the fight for Europa League qualification.
Vitoria Setubal, on the other hand, are battling hard to keep abreast of the relegation places. With the bottom two teams Portimonense and Naval picking up points on a regular basis, the Sadinos are now just four points above the drop zone and in desperate need of adding to their single win in the league since October with a victory or two.
Nacional have been hovering just outside the European places for most of the season. A win against lowly Academica could well launch the islanders on a successful home straight that sees Europa League action return to Madeira. Pedrag Jokanovic’s team would appear to have the easiest run-in of all the candidates for European qualification.
A potentially crucial episode in Carlos Mozer’s carefully orchestrated attempts to engineer Naval’s great escape will be played out in Figueira da Foz on Sunday. The Brazilian took over a team that looked doomed in the winter break and has brought about a remarkable improvement.
Currently unbeaten in eight games, a win for Naval will pull them to within three points of Maritimo – a team enduring its worst campaign for many a year.
Benfica’s defeat last weekend away at Braga all but ended their remote hopes of retaining the Portuguese championship title.
As such, coach Jorge Jesus will be extremely tempted to rest several players ahead of their crucial Europa League second-leg match against PSG on Thursday. The tie is finely balanced after a 2-1 victory for Benfica in Lisbon, but that match served to highlight the fact that several of Benfica's players are running on desperately low reserves of energy.
Portimonense have given themselves a glimmer of hope of remaining in the top flight in recent weeks. Carlos Azenha’s team are still sitting bottom of the table, but two draws and a win in their last three matches suggests the Algarve outfit will not go down without a fight.
FC Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas is not a fan of the rotation policy. However, with the Liga ZON Sagres practically guaranteed, the Porto boss may be tempted to rest some of his key players in the Monday fixture.
The game takes place just three days before the Dragons attempt to complete a Europa League victory over CSKA Moscow, with Porto defending a narrow 1-0 lead.
Nevertheless, even a second-string Porto side are likely to be hot for Uniao de Leiria to handle. The Lis have fallen away dramatically since Christmas, earning just five points from a possible 24. Leiria were thumped 5-1 at the Estadio do Dragao earlier in the season and if Porto decide to put their foot on the accelerator a similar result is not out of the question.
