Preview: Casa Pia vs Santa Clara - prediction, team news, lineups

After securing their first Primeira Liga victory of the season just before the international break, Casa Pia will look to build on that success when they resume competitive action on Saturday afternoon by welcoming unbeaten Santa Clara to Rio Maior.

The Lisbon-based hosts currently sit 17th in the Portuguese top flight with four points from their opening seven matches, while the Azorean visitors occupy fourth place with 15 points from a possible 21.

Match preview

Casa Pia appear to be discovering their attacking rhythm in recent outings, having now found the net in back-to-back league matches after failing to score in their opening five fixtures of the campaign.

The Geese began the Primeira Liga season with four straight defeats against Maritimo, Benfica, Gil Vicente and Moreirense before earning their first point in Minho, where they played out a goalless draw at Vitoria de Guimaraes.

A meeting with defending champions Porto followed, although the result did little to boost confidence as Casa Pia suffered a heavy defeat, though Filipe Coelho would have at least taken some encouragement from seeing his side score in a competitive match for the first time since he took charge in July.

However, there was genuine reason to smile after matchday seven, when the 41-year-old secured his first competitive win as Casa Pia boss, with the Lisbon outfit coming from behind to beat Estoril Praia 2-1 away from home, courtesy of goals from Selvi Clua and Benjamin Pauwels.

While the result produced the Geese's best attacking display of the season, their defensive problems remain a major concern, with no other side in the division having conceded as many as Os Gansos’ 16 goals.

Improvement is also needed on home soil, where Casa Pia have won just one of their last 10 matches, with that solitary success coming in the return leg of their relegation playoff against Torreense after finishing 16th last term under interim boss Alvaro Pacheco.

That said, the Geese now have an opportunity to record consecutive league victories for the first time since beating Boavista and Benfica in January 2025, with another three points potentially enough to lift them out of the relegation zone.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, have made an excellent start to the new campaign and remain one of only three Primeira Liga sides yet to taste defeat after collecting four wins and three draws from their opening seven matches.

The latest result in what has been a resilient run was a goalless draw against Braga on matchday seven just before the break, marking the team's fourth clean sheet of the campaign, with only leaders Porto (three) conceding fewer than the Azoreans' four goals in the league this season.

That result also continued a curious pattern, as Santa Clara have alternated between a stalemate and back-to-back victories across their opening seven outings of the campaign, with shared points against Nacional and Alverca coming at intervals between consecutive wins over Academico de Viseu and Famalicao as well as another pair against Rio Ave and Arouca.

While the draw with Braga sets the tone for another such cycle, the Azoreans can be optimistic about their chances of winning this weekend against a Casa Pia side they have beaten in three of their last four meetings and against whom they have conceded just once during that period, including a goalless draw in the teams' last meeting in Rio Maior.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Casa Pia will remain without goalkeeper Andre Gomes, who suffered a right adductor injury during the defeat to Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Ivan Mandic is therefore expected to continue between the posts after starting the last two league matches, with Patrick Sequeira providing the alternative in goal.

Jeremy Livolant remains in contention to make his first appearance of the season after returning to training following his disciplinary issue, while Pauwels could be reinstated into the lineup after coming off the bench to score the winner against Estoril.

Santa Clara have no fresh fitness concerns ahead of the trip to Rio Maior, although defender MT remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury.

Petit could largely stick with the side that held Braga to a draw on matchday seven, although Dje Tavares had less recovery time than some of his teammates after representing Cape Verde during the international break, while Goncalo Paciencia is expected to lead the line once again.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Mandic; Geraldes, Kaly, Sousa, Rosas; Clua, Ofori; El Boukammiri, Rego, Pauwels; H Araujo

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Franca; Soares, Pacheco, E Moreira, Romao; Dje, Ferreira, Ribeiro; V Lopes, Paciencia, B Lucas

We say: Casa Pia 0-1 Santa Clara

Casa Pia will be encouraged by their first league victory of the season and should be capable of making life difficult for Santa Clara, but their defensive shortcomings could ultimately prove costly against the visitors' more consistent attack.

The Azoreans have conceded just four goals across seven league matches and remain unbeaten this season, so another disciplined performance could see Petit's side claim a narrow victory and maintain their strong start to the campaign.

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