Estoril vs Arouca Predictions

• Estoril have failed to win seven of their eight home Primeira Liga games this season (Five draws).
• Arouca have avoided defeat in three of their last five away games (Three draws).
• Arouca’s two leading strikers Andre Silva and Oday Dabbagh are back from suspension for this.
• Estoril have had three 2-2 draws and Arouca have had two such scorelines in the league this season.

Boost for Arouca as strike duo return 

Arouca will be in a better position to get a positive result away to out-of-form Estoril on Thursday with their two leading strikers back in the fold.

Both Andre Silva and Oday Dabbagh missed last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Benfica – that made it three home defeats on the trot – through suspension. The sharpshooters were missed as Arouca, despite being major underdogs to get anything from the game, gave the Lisbon giants a hard time and should have drawn level from the penalty spot.

The Arouquenses can take heart from that spirited display when they head to Estádio António Coimbra da Mota to face an Estoril side sitting seventh in the table. But any aspirations to bring European football to the ground next season have been tempered by a shocking run of results that have seen Arouca earn one point from the last 12 on offer.

Swerve out-of-form hosts at the odds

The short price on the hosts looks best swerved here given Estoril have failed to win seven of their eight home Primeira Liga games this season. Instead, we suggest a double chance play on the visitors, who have avoided defeat in three of their last five away games

Experienced midfielder Marco Soares has also been missed while at the AFCON finals, although he seems to have picked up an injury there too, but with a bigger squad to choose from Arouca coach Armando Evangelista might even be able to fashion a winning performance from his men.

The safe play is to take Arouca double chance and we also recommend the larger odds available about a 2-2 draw, which has been the score in three of the last eleven Estoril matches.