Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Portimonense
Match Time & Date:
08/01/2022
17:00
Prediction: 2-1
Maritimo
Portimonense and Maritimo face each other at Estadio Municipal de Portimao in what is expected to be a close encounter. O Portimao suffered a 3-2 loss to Sporting at the weekend, but they should have grabbed something from the match. Pedro Miguel Sa is banned for Sunday’s clash, while fellow midfielder Carlinhos is back from suspension. Maritimo, on the other hand, aim to build on a 2-0 win over Vizela.
O Maior das Ilhas produce much better showings at home than on the travels, and given their five-game winless run on the road, we believe that home win should be considered. All Beltrame, Costa, and Mendes are rated doubtful for the game after the trio was tested positive for coronavirus. Portimonense are undefeated in the previous five meetings with Maritimo, which is yet another reason why we are tempted to put our money on the hosts.
Highlighted Player (Achraf Lazaar):
Achraf Lazaar was born in Casablanca, Morocco on January 22, 1992, but he moved to Italy with his parents in 2003. The left-footed footballer began his youth career at Raja Casablanca and he joined Varese’s youth academy in 2009.
Lazaar made his debut for the senior team in 2012. He made 37 league appearances for Varese, but he did not find the net during his spell at the Stadio Franco Ossola outfit. In January 2014 he signed a contract with Palermo and he has been playing for the Sicilian outfit ever since.Lazaar plays as a left back, but he is capable of producing fine displays as a left back as well. Seeing that he was unable to play for Italy, the Palermo footballer decided to represent Morocco on the international stage. He made his Morocco debut on 23 may, 2014 in a friendly against Mozambique. Morocco recorded a routine 4-0 win over Mozambique back then. Achraf Lazaar has a contract with Palermo which expires on 30 June, 2017.
Highlighted Team (Maritimo):
Based in Funchal, Madeira, Maritimo are a Portuguese club that compete in Primeira Liga. O Maior das Ilhas (The Greatest of the Islands) play their home matches in the national championship at Estadio do Maritimo.
The stadium was officially founded on May 5, 1957 and it can hold up to 10,932 spectators. Maritimo won their first and only Campeonato de Portugal in the 1925/1926 season, with the team beating Belenenses in the title game 2-0 at Campo do Ameal. Maritimo wear green shirts with red stripes and white shorts when playing on home soil, whilst the colour of their away kit is sky blue.
The Estadio do Maritimo have yet to win the Taca de Portugal trophy, but they made it to the final of the competition on two occasions (1994/95, 2000/01), as well as the final of the Taca da Liga in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Nacional are considered the club’s main rivals.
