This weekend’s Portuguese top flight action wraps up with an extremely important clash down at the foot of the Liga Portugal table with third from bottom club, Tondela, playing host to basement dwellers, Belenenses in a relegation dogfight at the Estádio João Cardoso.
Just five points separate Monday night’s hosts, Tondela, from their struggling counterparts ahead of this upcoming vital encounter which takes on even greater importance not just because possible relegation is at stake but also because Tondela have lost their last last four matches on the trot as well.
Tondela have been dealt out defeats by the likes of Benfica, Estoril, Sporting Braga and Famalicao while the bigger picture shows that the hosts have picked up just two wins out of their last 13 matches overall in the Portuguese top flight.
Wins at home this season have been hard to come by for Tondela, who have picked up 4 wins but lost 8 of their 12 games on home soil to date this term but they’ll take heart from the fact that they secured a 2-0 win away at Belenenses in their previous fixture back in early October.
Onto Belenenses and as mentioned earlier, the visitors sit bottom of the Liga Portugal and seven points adrift of fourth from bottom outfit Arouca and safety prior to this vitally important clash against fellow strugglers, Tondela, on Monday night.
Belenenses have managed to achieve just three league wins throughout the whole of this Liga Portugal campaign, all of which were collected on home soil at their Estádio Nacional with victories gained over Santa Clara, Arouca and Vitoria Guimaraes.
However, results away from home have therefore been poor as Belenenses have still yet to record a win on the road this term.
The visitors have drawn 4 and lost 8 of their 12 games on their travels so far this season.
Belenenses have also been hampered by their lack of goals on the road this term having scored just 4 goals away from home all season and it’s perhaps no surprise that they’re the league’s lowest goalscorers away from home as well.
The visitors have failed to score in 10 of their last 13 away games and this does not bode well for this visit to Tondela with the hosts looking the most likely to take the spoils here.