Vitoria de Guimaraes will host Gil Vincente in the penultimate quarterfinal of the Taca de Portugal on Thursday. The victor of this game advances to the final four. They will play either Porto or Santa Clara, who play on Wednesday.
Preview (Vitoria de Guimaraes vs. Gil Vicente)
For the first time since their 1-0 loss to Benfica in the 2018–19 season, Vitoria de Guimaraes is back in the competition’s final eight, where they hope to win only their second Taca de Portugal championship. Os Vimaranense defeated Moncarapachense 3-1 to begin the campaign this year. They then defeated Vilaverdense 4-1 and, most recently, defeated Penafiel 1-0 at the beginning of last month. With 20 league games played, Alvaro Pacheco’s team has amassed an outstanding 39 points. They are trailing Braga by one point for the fourth and final European qualification slot.
The hosts defeated Vizela 1-0 on the road last weekend to record their 12th league victory of the season. Since the November international break, they have only lost once. That loss occurred against their opponents in this very match just a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, Os Branquinhos will be optimistic going into this game because they have a strong home record this season, having won six straight games in all competitions and only losing twice in ten league games played at home. Gil Vicente, whose best-ever finish was a semi-final appearance. They will be hopeful that this year will be the year they win their first Taca de Portugal trophy.
The visitors had to overcome Os Belenenses 2-1 in the previous three rounds before winning two more easily last month against FC Serpa (1-0) and Amarante (3-1). The Roosters will genuinely believe they can make it to the final four this season despite losing to this opponent 1-0 last month and exiting the competition in the fourth round of the previous two editions. The team led by Vitor Campelos lost 3-0 to league leaders Benfica last weekend. It ended a four-game winning streak along with three draws and no losses in all competitions.
Team News
Telmo Arcanjo, a midfielder from Cape Verde, will not be available for Vitoria de Guimaraes because of a cruciate ligament tear he suffered in May. Joao Silva, scored the game-winning goal against Penafiel in the previous round after coming off the bench. He will be looking to start this game in the starting lineup, maybe at Nuno Santos’ expense. The return of Depu and Jonathan Buatu, who were eliminated by Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations while playing for Angola, would be welcomed by Gil Vicente. With a long-term injury, Stanislav Kritsyuk is expected to miss the rest of the season, and Kiko won’t be able to play until March.
Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Gil Vicente
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