Liga NOS Matchday 9 Odds & Picks: Can Famalicao and Santa Clara Bounce Back?

• Co-leaders Porto (-312) face a tricky away test at mid-table Maritimo (+700), which already has a point off one Big 3 scalp this season
• Famalicao (-125) looks to bounce back from a humbling 3-0 defeat at the Estadio Dragao on the weekend, as they host offensively-challenged Gil Vicente (+330)
• Santa Clara (-109) could offer value against defensive Setubal (+310)

This past weekend’s games were refreshing: The Liga NOS was back in action, the Big 3 all won and Portugal’s national coefficient went up thanks to some solid results in Europe last week.

Everything is back to ‘normal’ in the country’s domestic league following Porto’s 3-0 thrashing of Famalicao; Porto (7-0-1) and Benfica (7-0-1) have each won five in a row, and stand alone atop the league table.

Elsewhere, Braga (3-2-3) has begun what is likely to be a steady climb into the European spots after a poor start to the season; a solid 2-0 win on the weekend vs. Santa Clara (3-2-3) has propelled Sa Pinto’s squad back into the top half.

Maritimo vs. Porto Odds

All odds taken October 29, 2019.

We’re back with another edition of ‘Will a Big 3 club stumble in one of Portugal’s few difficult road trips?’ this week, as a very average Maritimo (2-3-3) will look to knock off co-leaders Porto.

Sergio Conceicao’s squad hits the road to the island of Madeira after the comfortable 3-0 victory on the weekend, which saw the Dragoes dominate but ultimately only score off three gifts from their visitors.

Maritimo are coming off an unspectacular 0-0 draw at cellar-dwelling Setubal on Saturday, as Nuno Santos’ side were shut out in league play for the first time all season.

It’s an interesting matchup: Porto will be playing its third match in six days, but with limited travel and arguably the deepest squad in the country, while Maritimo have been wildly inconsistent and uncharacteristically poor (1-1-2) at home.

Pick: Maritimo +1.5 (-119), as it’s rare for teams to whitewash Wednesday’s hosts in Madeira and Porto is dealing with fixture congestion.

Famalicao vs. Gil Vicente Odds

One of the other intriguing contests of Matchday 9 pits Famalicao (6-1-1) against Gil Vicente (1-4-3).

Famalicao have been the revelation of the Liga NOS to begin the campaign, racing out to an unparalleled seven-game undefeated run before falling harshly at Porto on the weekend.

The question now for Joao Pedro Sousa’s team is: Are they for real?

They have not dropped points against any team outside the top five, boast a respectable 1-1-1 record against that top group and have scored more (16 GF) than any team outside of Benfica and Porto.

Now, Famalicao returns home after facing its first real bout of adversity — against a well-coached Gil Vicente squad under Vitor Oliveira that will try to stifle them.

Wednesday’s hosts will either rise to the occasion and reaffirm their intention to compete for a European spot this season or let the Porto result become a larger stumble and begin a slow descent into mid-table mediocrity. We believe in the former.

Pick: Famalicao (-125)

Parlay Plays

Santa Clara (-109) vs. Setubal: While Joao Henriques’ squad was thumped by Braga on the weekend, keep in mind Santa Clara is 3-1-0 against bottom-half teams this season — and Setubal, with one goal from eight matches, is definitely that.

Rio Ave (-140) vs. Moreirense: Carlos Carvalhal’s Rio Ave team has not lived up to its pre-season billing, despite some signature wins. With that said, Moreirense has not kept a clean sheet in five outings and lost three of its last four.