Ileana Sanchez
Dailysports's expert
Estoril
Arouca
On May 15, António Coimbra da Mota Stadium (Estoril) will host the match of the 32nd round of the Liga Portugal, in which Estoril will compete with Arouca. The battle will start at 21:15 CET.
Estoril
The club has been playing for a little over 80 years, but the only significant achievement is the participation in the final of the Taça de Portugal. It is reasonable to mention that, firstly, it was in the mid-40s of the previous century, and, secondly, the team lost the decisive match for the trophy. At the same time, it is often promoted to the Primeira from the second division of the country, for instance, the 1st place was taken in 2021. Moreover, the newcomer was able to “jump” straight to the 9th place. Nowadays, the statistics are much worse. Nevertheless, “the Canaries” are lucky, because there are three teams in the current draw, which are even weaker. As a result, Ricardo Soares’s wards took only 8 wins and 28 points in 31 matches, but Maritimo had got 5 points less. The higher mentioned situation explains the abundance of defeats in 2023. Recently, the team has won the struggle with Santa Clara, which “hangs” in the last position, with a 3-0 score.
Arouca
The team has shown diametrical results in recent years. “Arouquenses” made their debut in the European competitions in 2016. However, having overcome Heracles there (after two draws in accordance to the away goal rule), they lost to Olympiacos. There was relegation from the Primeira in the same season, and after another two years the team had to go to the third league of the country. To be honest, the return was even faster – the previous season was spent already in the elite division. Speaking about the current tournament, Armando Evangelista and his wards are claiming the title of the main discovery of the season – they are eager to achieve the 5th place in the final standings. It is important to note that an 8-match unbeaten streak was interrupted by a 0-1 misfire in the battle with Rio Ave in April. Then, the same score was repeated in the match against Porto.
The statistics of head-to-head matches
The clubs exchanged away victories in the previous season. The current one has already brought a 2-0 victory for Arouca at its home arena in January.
Predictions
Bookmakers believe that Estoril has a better chance for success because it plays at the native arena. Still, it is more essential for the guests to get the points. Thus, we bet on Arouca with “a 0 goal handicap” (odd: 2.05).
