Match Details:
Moreirense vs. Nacional
6th May at 7:30 PM
Venue: Parque Desportivo Comendador, Joaquim De Almeida Freitas, Braga.
Match Preview:
The Primeira Liga is the topmost tier of the professional football league system in Portugal, where 18 teams across the country battle against each other to be crowned as the champion club of Portugal. It is game week 31, and in this league fixture, the 8th placed team on the table Moreirense, take on the bottom placed team Nacional. In their previous respective competitive fixtures, Moreirense lost 2-0 away to Vitoria Guimares, while Nacional lost 2-0 away at Sporting Lisbon in the Primeira Liga. Moreirense have been inconsistent in their recent games, being winless in their last four league games, losing twice in them. If they continue this form, it is highly unlikely that they will end up in a European spot with four games to go in the league. They are currently a massive 12 points away from 5th place, and have to win all their pending games and hope other results go in their favor to reach this spot. Nacional have had a dismal season; they are currently rock bottom of the league collecting just 24 points from their 30 games played, conceding the joint most 49 goals in the process. They have lost four of their last five games, and with four games to go, they need to win all their matches to have any chance of survival this year. Realistically, it is a mountain to climb, and all they can do is pray that they get to the top of that mountain.
Key Stats & Info:
- Moreirense have won their last 7 matches against Nacional in all competitions.
- Nacional have lost 11 of their last 12 Primeira Liga matches.
- Nacional have conceded at least 2 goals in 10 of their last 12 Primeira Liga matches.
Expected XI:
Moreirense:
Kewin (GK), Ferraresi, Rosic, Ba, Conte, Walterson Silva, Pires, Simao, Franco, Soares, Martins
Nacional:
Filipe (GK), Vigario, Cesar, P. Correia, Freitas, Kal, Danilovic, Azouni, Bessa, Riascos, Mendes
Key Players:
Martins (Moreirense): Brazilian forward Rafael Martins re-joined Moreirense in 2021 from Chinese second division side Zhejian Greentown, and has since made 17 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 6 goals and giving 1 assist. He scored 6 goals in 17 games across all competitions in the 19-20 season, and has scored 6 goals and given 1 assist in 17 games across all competitions in the current season. In his last game against Vitoria Guimares, he had 1 shot on target from 4 attempts on goal, had 24 touches of the ball, gave 1 key pass, and had a passing accuracy of 73% completing 11 passes. He is the club’s current top scorer, and is expected to influence the next game.
Riascos (Nacional): Colombian forward Brayan Riascos joined Nacional in 2018 from Portuguese second division side Oliveirense, and has since made 82 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and giving 13 assists. He had a good 19-20 season, scoring 11 goals and giving 4 assists in 24 games across all competitions, and is doing brilliantly in the current season as well, scoring 10 goals and giving 3 assists in 29 games across all competitions. In his last game against Sporting Lisbon, he played for 85 minutes and had 25 touches of the ball, and a passing accuracy of 44% completing 4 passes. He is the club’s current top scorer, and is expected to influence the next game.
Captain & Vice-Captain Picks
- Martins (Moreirense)
- Soares (Moreirense)
- Walterson Silva (Moreirense)
- Riascos (Nacional)
Source for Stats:
https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/
https://www.whoscored.com/
https://int.soccerway.com/
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are of the author and is not a reflection of the actual points you might earn