Sports Mole previews Monday’s Primeira Liga clash between Estrela Amadora and Alverca, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Two teams still searching for their first wins in the 2025-26 Primeira Liga campaign will lock horns on Monday when Estrela Amadora welcome Alverca to Estadio Jose Gomes for matchday three action.
The Tricolores have collected only one point from their opening two fixtures, while their newly promoted visitors have endured a rocky return to the top flight, losing both of their games.
Match preview
On a poor sequence stretching back into last season, Estrela are now without a victory in five Primeira Liga matches.
Having closed out the 2024-25 campaign with three straight defeats and finishing a mere two points above the relegation playoff spot, the Tricolores have shown little improvement this season, though their demanding fixtures have hardly offered much room for comfort.
It took a 75th-minute equaliser from Ianis Stoica to salvage something at Estoril Praia on the opening weekend, while their next assignment against Benfica brought little respite in a contest where a spirited effort ultimately fell short without their head coach in the dugout.
Jose Faria was suspended after his dismissal in the previous game, and despite a battling display under assistant Luis Silva, it was a second-half strike from Vangelis Pavledis that decided the encounter.
Now back on the touchline, Faria will be eager to address his side’s troubling run at the Jose Gomes, with just one league win in 10 matches at the ground, stretching from 2024-25.
Back in the Primeira Liga after more than two decades away, Alverca have been handed some harsh reminders of the demands of the top flight, losing both of their opening fixtures.
First was a narrow 2-1 defeat to former boss Vasco Botelho da Costa’s Moreirense, where a stoppage-time effort from Yan Maranhao denied the newcomers a point, though their meeting with Braga last weekend proved a far more sobering affair.
Inside 36 minutes Alverca had conceded three times, and with the scoreline unchanged until the final whistle, manager Custodio Castro has plenty to ponder as he leads his side to Amadora with a painful memory still fresh.
Their most recent visit to this ground ended in a 3-0 loss, making it back-to-back defeats in this fixture after also coming up short in the reverse clash of that 2024-25 Liga 2 season, so Castro may be content with even a point on Monday.
Estrela Amadora Primeira Liga form:
Estrela Amadora form (all competitions):
Alverca Primeira Liga form:
Alverca form (all competitions):
Team News
With Faria back on the sidelines, the Tricolores boss has only defender Guilherme Montoia listed as a possible absentee due to injury.
Meanwhile, new signing Assane Ndiaye could make his debut in midfield alongside Paulo Moreira.
Kikas may be rewarded with a starting berth on the flank after catching the eye as a substitute last time out.
Having sat out against his parent club, Francisco Chissumba is eligible to return at left-back for Alverca, which may see Isaac James drop to the bench.
Matheus Mendes, who was recruited in midweek, is unlikely to feature, so Andre Gomes should retain his place in goal.
Estrela Amadora possible starting lineup:
Ribeiro; Drame, Schappo, Patrick; Ronaldo, Moreira, Ndiaye, Cabral; Kikas, Godoy, Cabral
Alverca possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Meupiyou, Gomez, Naves, Chissumba; Amorim, Mendes, Esteves; Nuozzi, Milovanovic, Chiquinho
We say: Estrela Amadora 2-1 Alverca
The odds tip slightly towards Estrela, buoyed by the return of their manager, recent success in this fixture and the backing of the home crowd in Amadora, making a home win the likelier outcome.
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