Seeking to snap their run of eight consecutive defeats, Boavista go head to head with Santa Clara in round 24 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.
Os Acorianos, who have failed to win any of their last six visits to the Estadio do Bessa since April 2009, will be looking to end this 16-year run and rekindle their quest for European football.
Match preview
With a third of the season left to go, Boavista find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Primeira Liga standings and are heavy favourites to drop down, having narrowly escaped last season.
Os Axadrezados, who finished above the bottom three on goal difference last campaign, have won just two of their 23 league games this term while losing 15 and claiming six draws to collect 12 points, nine adrift of 15th-placed Estrela Amadora in safety.
Boavista's dire campaign has been owing to their lack of firepower in attack as they have netted just 14 league goals so far — the division's fewest goal tally — while allowing 40 at the opposite end of the pitch.
This was highlighted last Saturday when Lito Vidigal's men suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz courtesy of strikes from Vangelis Pavlidis, Orkun Kokcu and January signing Andrea Belotti.
With last weekend's result, Boavista have now lost eight back-to-back matches and have failed to taste victory in their last 13, losing 10 and picking three draws since scraping a 2-1 win over Gil Vicente on November 2.
Santa Clara, on the other hand, suffered another blow in their quest for a top-four finish as they were held to a goalless draw by Estrela when the two sides squared off last Sunday.
In a game where goalscoring chances were at a premium, both sides were guilty of a lack of cutting edge in front of goal before settling for a share of the spoils at the Estadio Jose Gomes.
Before that, Santa Clara picked up back-to-back victories over Casa Pia and AVS to start February, scoring four goals and conceding twice across both games, before crashing down to earth in a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Benfica on February 15.
Having gained promotion from the Segunda Liga last term, Vasco Matos's men have picked up 39 points from their 23 league matches so far to sit fifth in the standings, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Braga in the Conference League qualifying spot.
While Santa Clara have failed to win their last six visits to the Estadio do Bessa, they will head into the weekend with plenty of optimism, having picked up two wins and two draws from their four matches on the road since December 30.
Team News
Boavista will have to cope without the services of 25-year-old midfielder Miguel Reisinho, who is currently suspended after picking up a red card against Benfica last time out.
On the injury front, Os Axadrezados remain without Joao Goncalves (knee), Luis Pires (knee) and experienced defender Layvin Kurzawa (muscle), who continue their spells on the sidelines.
Tomas Silva has missed each of the last three matches since coming off injured against Famalicao back in January and the 18-year-old defender will play no part in this weekend's clash.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara remain without the services of Portuguese defender Pedro Pacheco, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines, having suffered a cruciate ligament injury back in August.
Other than that, Os Acorianos head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Matos the luxury of a relatively full-strength squad at his disposal.
Boavista possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Lystsov, Abascal, Fogning; Kone, Perez, Vukotic, Van Ginkel, Silva; Agra, Bozenik
Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Batista; Venancio, Rocha, Nunes; Calila, Firmino, Araujo, Pereira; Ricardinho, Vinicius, Silva
We say: Boavista 0-2 Santa Clara
Santa Clara will be licking their lips as they take on a struggling Boavista side who have plummeted to the bottom of the table, having managed just three points from the last 39 available. With their sights on returning to Europe this season, we expect Matos's men to go all out at the Estadio do Bessa and secure all three points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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