Preview: Academico de Viseu vs Santa Clara - prediction, team news, lineups

Newly promoted Academico de Viseu look to build on last weekend’s solid start to the 2026-27 Primeira Liga campaign as they welcome Santa Clara to Estadio do Fontelo for matchday two action on Saturday.

Os Viriatos kicked off their season in impressive fashion by holding Benfica to a 2-2 draw on Sunday, a day before the Azoreans also played out a 2-2 stalemate against Nacional in their own matchday one encounter.

Match preview

Matchday one of the 2026-27 Primeira Liga campaign produced a couple of unexpected results, but Academico’s draw with Benfica arguably represented the biggest upset of the opening weekend given the gulf in pedigree between the two sides and the venue where it was achieved.

Os Viriatos, who returned to the top flight this term after a 37-year absence, showed plenty of resilience during their trip to Estadio da Luz, with the result also highlighting their clinical edge as Ruben Pereira and Andre Clovis twice restored parity after the Viseu club fell behind.

Manager Bruno Pinheiro will have been pleased with his side’s spirited display in what was his first competitive game in charge following his appointment on June 19, with the result suggesting his newly promoted team are ready for life in the top tier.

While that draw leaves Academico eighth in the Primeira Liga table, the aim will be to climb higher with victory this weekend, and they will look to carry over their impressive home form from Liga 2, having won six of their nine league matches (D2, L1) at Fontelo in 2026.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, enter this encounter looking to improve on last season’s away record, which saw them manage just two victories from 17 league outings (D7, L8) on the road and contributed to their relatively underwhelming 13th-place finish.

Having enjoyed an impressive pre-season run, winning four of their five summer friendlies, the Azoreans would have expected to kick off their Primeira Liga campaign in perfect fashion on home soil against Nacional.

Indeed, Petit’s men started on the front foot, racing into a two-goal lead inside 21 minutes through Goncalo Paciencia’s brace, but a lack of concentration saw them concede twice before the break, with neither side able to find a winner after the interval.

Santa Clara have now failed to win their opening fixture in consecutive Primeira Liga campaigns and will also be keen to avoid another slow start, having gone without victory in their first three league matches of 2025-26.

However, their last visit to Academico ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2023-24 Liga 2 return fixture, while the Azoreans have won just four of their previous 12 meetings with the Viseu club (D2, L6), all of which came in the second tier.

Academico de Viseu Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Academico finished last weekend’s trip to Benfica seemingly unscathed, so manager Pinheiro is likely to stick with the same setup that earned his side an impressive point at Estadio da Luz.

Clovis carried his impressive pre-season form into the opener by netting the equaliser that secured a valuable point, and he will look to maintain that momentum in Saturday’s encounter.

As for Santa Clara, Matheus Araujo (MT) is expected to remain sidelined as he continues to recover from the cruciate ligament injury he sustained last season.

Summer signing Sorriso suffered an injury scare during last weekend’s opener before being substituted late on, but there have been no reports suggesting he will be absent this weekend, meaning he could feature again.

Paciencia’s brace against Nacional put him at the top of the early Golden Boot race, and he will look to add to his tally on Saturday as he retains his position in the number nine role.

Academico de Viseu possible starting lineup:

Ewerton; Robinho, Correia, Pereira, Milioransa; Messeguem, Mestanza, Kahraman; Guilherme, Clovis, Zamora

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Franca; Calila, Lima, Pacheco, Romao; Ferreira, Borges; Sorriso, Tavares, Lopes; Paciencia

We say: Academico de Viseu 1-1 Santa Clara

While both sides will be looking to secure their first victory of the new season following their respective draws on matchday one, this looks like a well-balanced encounter in which the two teams could cancel each other out.

As such, we could see a repeat of the scoreline from the last meeting between the sides in Viseu, with the spoils potentially shared once again on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.