Match Details:
Famalicão vs. Nacional
16th May at 7:30 PM
Venue: Estadio Municipal 22 De Junho, Vila Nova De Famalicao
Match Preview:
It is game week 33, and in this league fixture, the 11th placed team on the table Famalicao, take on the bottom-placed team Nacional. In their previous respective competitive fixtures, Famalicao beat Vitoria Guimares 1-2 away, while Nacional lost 1-3 to Benfica in the Primeira Liga. Famalicao have nothing substantial to play for when they meet Nacional in their next match. They are in 10th place, three points away from positions seven to nine, and winning both their remaining matches does give them an outside chance of finishing higher, but it is highly unlikely. They have won their last two matches, and with pride to play for, they should take all three points away from this match. It is most likely that Nacional will be relegated from this year’s Primeira Liga. Even if they manage to win their last two games and Boavista and Farense lose, they will not be able to beat Rio Ave’s much superior goal difference. They should nevertheless attempt to get maximum points from these games and go out with their head held high.
Key Stats & Info:
- Nacional have scored at least 2 goals in their last 3 matches against Famalicao in all competitions.
- Nacional have lost 12 of their last 14 Primeira Liga matches.
- Famalicao have won 3 of their last 5 Primeira Liga matches.
Expected XI:
Famalicao:
Junior (GK), Figueiras, Queiros, Babic, Vinagre, Ugarte, P. Rodrigues, I. Rodrigues, Kraev, Jaime, Guedes
Nacional:
Filipe (GK), Pedrao, Cesar, Kal, Freitas, Alhassan, Azouni, Vigario, Bessa, Mendes, Riascos
Key Players:
I Rodrigues (Famalicao): Portuguese winger Ivo Rodrigues joined Famalicao in January 2021 from Belgian side Antwerp, and has since made 12 Primeira Liga appearances, scoring 5 goals and giving 1 assist. He scored 5 goals and gave 2 assists in 29 games across all competitions in the 19-20 season. In his last game against Vitoria Guimares, he had 1 accurate shot on goal, 61 touches of the ball, gave 4 key passes, and completed 29 passes with an accuracy of 91%. He has scored 3 goals and given 1 assist in his last 4 Primeira Liga games and is expected to influence the next game.
Jaime (Famalicao): Spanish midfielder Ivan Jaime joined Famalicao at the start of the current season from Spanish side Malaga, and has since made 22 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 3 goals and giving 3 assists. He only played 3 La Liga2 matches for his former club without scoring or assisting in the 19-20 season but is doing well in the current season. In his last game against Vitoria Guimares, he played for 25 minutes and had 12 touches of the ball, and completed 4 passes with an accuracy of 80%. He is in decent form 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 84 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and giving 14 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 4 assists in 29 games across all competitions. In his last game against Benfica, he had 47 touches of the ball, 1 shot on target from 6 attempts on goal, gave 1 key pass, and a passing accuracy of 84% completing 16 passes. He is the club’s current top scorer and is expected to influence the next game.
Captain & Vice-Captain Picks
- I. Rodrigues (Famalicao)
- Jaime (Famalicao)
- Kraev (Famalicao)
- Riascos (Nacional)
- Mendes (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.