Seeking to bounce back from their midweek Taca de Portugal exit, Moreirense journey to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota to face rock-bottom Estoril Praia in round nine of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.

Having failed to win the last six meetings between the two teams, Estoril head into the weekend looking to get one over Os verdes e brancos and finally get off the mark in the league.

Match preview

While Estoril Praia have endured a woeful start to the new league campaign, they avoided an early upset in the Taca de Portugal last Sunday when they secured a penalty-shootout victory over Campeonato de Portugal outfit Salgueiros after a 1-1 stalemate in normal time.

Rafik Guitane came up clutch for Estoril when he netted in the 89th minute to cancel out Deven’s 81st-minute opener and force extra time, and with nothing to separate the two sides after 30 minutes, the game went on to penalties, where the visitors secured a 4-1 victory.

While it was another shaky team display, head coach Leandro Pires will hope the cup victory can inspire a much-needed turnaround in the Primeira Liga, where the Canarinhos are the only side yet to taste victory this season, claiming two draws and losing six so far.

With 12 goals conceded already, defensive frailties have been Estoril Praia’s biggest concern this season, highlighted in their last Primeira Liga outing on October 10 when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against newcomers Academuco Viseu at the Estadio Municipal do Fontelo, a result which leaves them rooted to the bottom of the league standings.

While Estoril will look to stop the rot this weekend, next up is the challenge of an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in their last six attempts, losing three and claiming three draws since a 1-0 victory in May 2022.

On the other hand, Moreirense were dumped out of the Taca de Portugal in their opening game last weekend when they fell to a 1-0 defeat against AVS in their third-round clash at the Estadio do CD das Aves.

Rodrigo Pinho’s third-minute strike proved decisive after Maracas received his marching orders on the stroke of half time, with the hosts making the most of their numerical advantage to see out a third straight victory across all competitions.

This was in keeping with their struggles in the Primeira Liga, where Moreirense have failed to win six of their opening eight matches, claiming two draws and losing four, including a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Gil Vicente on October 8, to sit 12th in the league standings.

Breaching opposing defences has not been a worry for Vasco Costa’s men, who have made the net ripple eight times in their eight league matches, but with a fourth-highest 15 goals conceded already, they must tighten up defensively if they are to get back on track this weekend.

However, given their record at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, the odds appear stacked against Moreirense, having failed to win nine of their most recent 11 away games against Estoril, losing five and claiming four draws since February 2011.

Estoril Praia Primeira Liga form:

Estoril Praia form (all competitions):

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Moreirense form (all competitions):

Team News

The attacking duo of Fabricio Garcia and Moroccan striker Yanis Begraoui have been sidelined through injuries and are out of contention for Estoril Praia.

Israel Salazar continues his long road to full recovery after sustaining a cruciate ligament tear in August 2025, while 31-year-old midfielder Xeka has missed the last five matches since coming off injured against Benfica on August 31.

As for Moreirense, Costa will be unable to call upon the services of veteran defender Maracas, who is currently suspended after rebinding his marching orders in the cup defeat against AVS last weekend.

Gambian international Gilberto Batista, who has started all eight Primeira Liga games this season, should return to the XI, forming the back four with Kiko, Kevyn Monteiro and 26-year-old Dinis Pinto.

Alexandre Parsemain picked up an injury while in action for Martinique against Suriname in September, and the 23-year-old striker is set to sit out a third consecutive game for Os verdes e brancos.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Robles; Sanchez, Tsoungui, Ferro, Jurisic; Holsgrove, Robin; Guitane, Carvalho, Omerovic; Lacximicant

Moreirense possible starting lineup:

Ferreira; Kiko, Monteiro, Batista, Pinto; Liberato, John; Andrade, Mendonca, Bondoso; Vonic

We say: Estoril Praia 2-2 Moreirense

Still licking their wounds from their cup exit, Moreirense will return to league action in need of a lift, and they will fancy their chances against an Estoril Praia side who have stumbled into the new campaign.

While they got the job done, Estoril turned in another unconvincing display against amateur side Salgueiros in the cup, and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils against a Moreirense they have failed to get the better of since May 2022.

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