Arouca v Alverca: survival fight meets mid-table push | OneFootball

Arouca host Alverca in Liga Portugal on Sunday, 14 December 2025 at the Estádio Municipal de Arouca, with the hosts trying to climb out of the relegation places and the visitors looking to consolidate their top-half standing.

Arouca sit 17th with nine points and have lost five league games in a row. Alverca are 9th on 17 points and arrive with back-to-back wins against Casa Pia and Nacional after drawing with Rio Ave.

Goalscoring threats are clear. Nais Djouahra leads Arouca's league tally with five, with Alfonso Trezza on four. For the visitors, Marko Milovanovic also has five and the 197cm forward offers a focal point in the box.

The match-up could hinge on efficiency at both ends. Arouca have scored 14 but conceded 37 across 13 league games, while Alverca have allowed 19 and kept four clean sheets. The visitors' shooting accuracy stands at 49.47% and their open-play crossing accuracy is 23.02%, which could test a leaky home defence. Arouca, who have found four goals from outside the box, may look to threaten from range.

Set-piece and penalty-area discipline may matter. Arouca have conceded seven penalties this season. Alverca have had four and converted half. Runs in behind are also a theme for the visitors, who have been caught offside 19 times.

A win would lift Arouca to 12 points and could pull them towards the relegation play-off spot. Alverca would move to 20 points with victory and could climb further in a congested middle of the table.