In the Primeira Liga on Monday night, SC Farense hosts Arouca, another team vying for relegation.
Although the season is still early, both clubs enter the match with survival on the agenda in what will be their first-ever meeting in the top tier.In preparation for the match, Farense is in better shape, and their Primeira Liga comeback is going rather nicely.
Last Saturday, Jose Mota's team played Rio Ave. and provided their fans an exciting afternoon, winning 4-3 under unusual circumstances.
Although Farense had an early lead, they quickly found themselves behind 2-1, and by the 89th minute, Rio Ave had taken a 3-2 lead.
However, two spectacular goals in the last minutes from Claudio Falcao and Rui Costa flipped the match on its head, and Farense emerged victorious, taking the three points from the jaws of defeat.
Farense was suffering from an ugly cup exit the week before at the hands of second-tier strugglers Vilaverdense, thus the win was much-needed.
It was only the second victory of the season for their opponents; Vilaverdense's only other victory came against CD Ponte, an amateur team.
Mota's defense is still a problem; in their last five games, they have given up 10 goals, which has significantly contributed to three losses.
Viktor Gyokeres scored five of the goals as Sporting Lisbon defeated Farense 3-2 and 4-2 in the league and cup.
Mota's team is four points ahead of their opponents, who are presently occupying the relegation playoff slot, going into the match.
As the most ineffective team in the division, Arouca has seen a dramatic decline in the standings.
Arouca has dropped its last five games after going undefeated in their first four games and earning six points.
In that time, Daniel Ramos has watched his team score just one goal against a 10-man Sporting team that still defeated them.
The only notable victories for Arouca this season have been two cup victories over lower-division teams and a draw at Porto. Their only other league success came against Estoril on opening day.
Sporting was one of only four teams to defeat them during this winless streak; the other teams were Casa Pia, Famalicao, Chaves, and Moreirense. These are teams they must defeat if they are to survive this season, therefore things need to turn around as soon as possible.
