Newly-promoted Arouca welcome fellow newcomers Estoril Praia to the Estadio Municipal de Arouca for their Primeira Liga season-opener on Saturday.

The away side secured promotion into the top tier after winning last campaign's Segunda Liga, while the hosts finished third and had to take the long route via the playoffs.

Match preview

Arouca suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Rio Ave in the second round of the Taca da Liga qualifiers on Sunday.

In a repeat of May's promotion playoff final, which Armando Evangelista's men won 5-0 on aggregate, Aderllan Santos's 38th-minute strike proved to be the difference.

Os Arouquenses mark their return to the Primeira Liga this weekend following a five-year absence and will not be too disheartened by their early cup exit.

Saturday's hosts get the ball rolling against a familiar opposing outfit who they have locked horns with 13 times in as many years.

The teams have picked up four victories and five stalemates apiece, but there has been no away win for either side since 2013.

Like Arouca, Estoril's Taca da Liga journey was brought to a premature end courtesy of a 1-0 defeat away at Famalicao on Sunday.

Making his bow for his home side, Bruno Rodrigues broke the deadlock inside the opening 10 minutes and that was enough to settle what was a tight affair.

Bruno Pinheiro's men have a point to prove, as they return to the zenith of Portuguese football after four years in the second division following their dismal showing in 2017/18, when they finished bottom.

With the exception of their hosts, Saturday's visitors conceded fewer goals than any other Segunda Liga side last term, and such a level of defensive solidity will be required going forward.

Team News

Abdul-Aziz Yakubu's 16 league goals were crucial to the Estoril's success last season, making him a huge miss following his return to parent club Vitoria de Guimaraes earlier in the month.

In the absence of the Ghanaian forward, Andre Clovis is expected to lead the line for the visitors, with an unchanged supporting cast of Andre Franco and Miguel Crespo.

Arsenio Nunes scored the winner in the last meeting involving Saturday's opponents, and he will be looking to come up trumps once more for the home side.

Andre Silva has been in good form of late, scoring in two of Arouca's last three home matches, including the clincher in the first leg of the playoff final.

Arouca possible starting lineup:
Braga; Quaresma, Velazquez, Thales, Basso; Valderrama, Silva, Moreira, Nunes; Bukia, Silva

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Da Silva; Joaozinho, Africa, Vital, Soria; Crespo, Loreintz, Gamboa, Franco; Clovis, Chiquinho

We say: Arouca 1-1 Estoril Praia

Saturday's opponents know a lot about each other having gone head-to-head quite a number of times in recent years. In what should be a cagey affair, we fancy a share of the spoils, with the sides settling for a point apiece in the end.

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