Nacional vs Vitoria Setubal Predictions

Just one point and three places separate Nacional and Vitoria Setubal in the Primeira Liga after nineteen games, and both are very much still involved in the relegation battle. The form of both teams has been poor of late, with wins hard to come by for the pair, but Sunday’s game will been seen by both as a great opportunity to return to winning ways and distance themselves from the bottom three.

Nacional suffered a fourth straight defeat in the Primeira Liga on Monday, going down 2-1 away at Europa League hopefuls Moreirense. Chiquinho opened the scoring for the hosts in the fifteenth minute and then proceeded to double Moreirense’s lead early in the second half. Hamzaoui pulled a goal back for the visitors as Nacional threatened a comeback, but in stoppage time the visitors substitute Joao Camacho was sent-off for a second bookable offence and Moreirense held on to claim all three points.

Vitoria Setubal managed to hold Sporting CP to a draw in the Primeira Liga on Wednesday, and looked like they might have done enough to win the game following Cádiz twenty-fourth minute opening goal. Just ten minutes into the second half Sporting CP were reduced to ten-men when defender Ristovski was shown a straight red card, but the visitors showed great resilience and equalised with ten minutes left on the clock through top scorer Dost. In the ninth minute of stoppage time Setubal had Vasco Fernandes sent-off, but managed to see the remainder of the game out to claim a decent point.

We’re expecting to see goals for both of these sides on Sunday, as defending is not something either side have done well of late or when they come up against one another. Both teams have managed just one clean sheet in their last six matches, and five of their last six encounters against one another have seen both teams score. Both teams have also scored in three of Nacional’s last six and each of Vitoria Setubal’s last three matches. We’re convinced the two teams will cancel each other out on Sunday and the game will end in a draw, as it has done on three of the last six occasions the pair have played against one another.

With eight goals in the league alone this season, Argentina’s Rochez has proved crucial to Nacional’s season and his goals could well be the main thing that keeps the club in the Primeira Liga. The visitors lack a natural goalscorer in their squad, as Cádiz and Pereira joint top score for Vitoria Setubal with just four goals each to their names.

We’re confident that both teams will score on Sunday, and have backed the game to end in a 1-1 draw. Both teams are in the midst of poor runs of form of late and have each managed just one clean sheet in their last six matches. Three of the last six matches the pair have played against one another have ended in stalemates, and with the two competing at such similar levels this season we’re expecting them to cancel each other out on Sunday.