Portugal’s Taca da Liga continues on Wednesday, with Portimonense and Gil Vicente going head-to-head in Group E.
With two games in the books, unbeaten Gil Vicente sit at the top of Group E – one point clear of second-place Nacional and third-place Portimonense.
SC Covilha find themselves rock bottom with a solitary point to their name, giving Portimonense and Gil Vicente an incentive to take control of Group E.
Portimonense were beaten 2-0 by Nacional in their opening Taca da Liga clash, getting off to the worst possible start.
However, they bounced back last time out – defeating Covilha 2-0 thanks to goals from Ricardo Matos and Anderson Oliveira.
Interestingly, Portimonense have recorded a solitary draw across 16 games in 2022-23 – registering seven wins and eight losses in the process.
Having claimed 19 points in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, seventh-place Portimonense sit ten points clear of third-bottom Gil Vicente.
On the flip side, Gil Vicente came from behind to draw 2-2 with Covilha in their first Taca da Liga clash on the season.
Thanks to a 2-0 victory over Nacional last time out, Gil Vicente remain unbeaten in the Taca da Liga this term.
When you look at the bigger picture, however, Gil Vicente have managed to win just two of their previous 11 encounters across all competitions.
They have also managed to win just two of their 13 league games this season, meaning they find themselves in real danger of relegation.
Head-to-head: Gil Vicente have only won four of their previous 14 meetings with Portimonense in all competitions.
Given that eight of the past 12 meetings between Portimonense and Gil Vicente have produced under 2.5 goals, Wednesday’s clash is expected to be a low-scoring affair.
Team news: Portimonense have two key players sidelined due to injury at the moment, with Carlinhos and Pedro Sa expected to miss Wednesday’s encounter.
As for Gil Vicente, they will be without injured goalkeeper Andrew on Wednesday as the 21-year-old Brazilian continues his rehabilitation.
When you couple Gil Vicente’s poor recent record in this fixture with the gulf between them and Portimonense in the Primeira Liga standings, all the signs point towards a home win here.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Portimonense will seal a low-scoring victory over Gil Vicente. A clean sheet is also on the cards for the hosts.