Famalicao takes on Moreirense in their second game of the Premiera Liga on Monday. The home team’s league campaign got off to a very promising start last week. They defeated Sporting Braga, while the visitors lost to Porto by the same score.
Preview (Famalicao vs Moreirense)
Familicao failed to qualify for European football the previous season due to a bad league finish. They will be trying to sustain their strong start to the 2023–24 season. The hosts finished the season in eighth place for the second consecutive year since they failed to win a single game in their final five league contests and only managed to collect two points during that span. Famalicao finished the season with 44 points from 34 games, 13 victories, 5 ties, and 16 defeats while scoring 39 goals and allowing 47 goals.
Afonso Rodrigues and Oscar Aranda scored once each for Joao Pedro Sousa’s team last week. They defeated Braga 2-1 in their season opener despite being the 4/1 underdogs. After defeating this opponent recently and being undefeated in their previous two meetings, they will now enter this match with a ton of confidence and are significantly favored to win again. In the meanwhile, Moreirense was relegated in the 2021–22 season after finishing in 16th place. They immediately promoted to the top level.
With 79 points in their final 34 league games, the visitors easily defeated their closest competitors Farense to win Liga Portugal 2 last season by a substantial margin. Farense placed second. With five straight victories in their final five games and seven games without a loss, Paulo Alves’ team finished the season with a league-high 24 wins, seven draws, and three losses while scoring two goals or more in six of those contests.
However, the final score may not really reflect their performance, as they were definitely second best. They might have trailed by three or four at the end of the game. Even so, they could draw some positives from that game. Notably Godfried Frimpong’s game-winning goal and a committed defensive effort. They will try to duplicate in this game as they look to earn their first points of the year.
Team News
Theo Fonseca, who has an ACL injury and is expected to be sidelined for at least another month. He is the only injury absentee for Sousa in this game. In the previous game, Rodrigues and Aranda both came off the bench to score. The duo will be vying for a starting 11 berth in this one. It might force Otso Liimatta to the bench.
Frimpong should keep his position on the left side of the defense, while Fabiano Silva, who started the previous game on the bench, will be aiming to make a comeback on the other wing. We anticipate them to maintain the momentum into their first home game of the year and have a good feeling they’ll win this one too.
Famalicao 2 – 1 Moreirense
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