Preview: Moreirense vs Santa Clara - prediction, team news, lineups

Moreirense will be looking to move within one point of the European qualifying places when they go head to head with Santa Clara in round 19 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday.

As for the Azoreans, they journey to the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas aiming to snap their run of six consecutive matches without a win since the first week of December and move six points clear of the relegation zone.

Match preview

Moreirense continue to blow hot and cold in their quest for European football as they fell to a somewhat disappointing 2-1 defeat against Alverca when the two teams met last Saturday.

Following a goalless first half at the Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca, Nabil Touaizi and Sandro Lima netted on either side of Rodrigo Alonso’s 62nd-minute penalty to help Alverca pick up a second win in two games since the turn of the year.

Moreirense had kicked off the new year with back-to-back victories, edging out AVS 2-0 at the Estadio do Clube Desportivo das Aves on January 3 to end a run of five consecutive games without a win, one week before claiming a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tondela on home turf.

Despite flashes of promise, lack of consistency has kept Vasco Costa’s out of the coveted top-four places, with the Minho outfit sitting sixth in the Primeira Liga table with 27 points from 18 matches, four points behind fourth-placed Gil Vicente in the Conference League qualifying spot.

Moreirense will be backing themselves to bounce back this weekend when they take on an opposing side who have failed to win seven of their last eight league meetings, losing four and claiming three draws since February 2020.

With nothing to separate the two teams at half time, Brazilian midfielder Sorriso came up trumps for Famalicao as he broke the deadlock with a 75th-minute effort to snap their run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions.

With that result, Santa Clara have now failed to taste victory in six straight games across all competitions, claiming two draws and losing four, including a 3-2 extra-time defeat against Sporting Lisbon in the Taca de Portugal fifth round on December 18.

Vasco Matos’s men secured a fifth-placed finish last term to clinch European qualification, but they have struggled to replicate those heights this term, with the Azoreans sitting 14th in the Primeira Liga table, level on 17 points with Nacional and Arouca, and three points above the bottom three.

While Santa Clara will be looking to find their feet this weekend, results on the road offer little room for optimism, as they hold the division’s second-worst away record this season, having managed just six points from their eight matches so far.

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Moreirense will have to cope without the services of Ghanaian midfielder Lawrence Ofori, who recently completed a move to Primeira Liga rivals Santa Clara.

On the injury front, Costa will be unable to name 22-year-old midfielder Vasco Sousa, who has missed the last four games since coming off with a leg injury against Benfica in December.

Moreirense leading scorer Guilherme Schettine, who has bagged nine league goals in 15 appearances, is also a doubt for the home side this weekend, having missed each of the last two games.

As for Santa Clara, Brazilian defender Henrique Silva was forced off injured midway through the game against Famalicao last time out and the 20-year-old will play no part in this weekend’s tie.

Fellow countryman Matheus Araujo has missed the last three matches since coming off injured against Arouca on December 21 and the 24-year-old is out of contention for the visitors.

Moreirense possible starting lineup:

Ferreira; Pinto, Michel, Maracas, Martinez; Alanzinho, Assis, Alonso; Travassos, Semedo, Bondoso

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Venancio, Rocha, Welinton; Soares, Firmino, Serginho, Victor; Klismahn, Lopes, Silva

We say: Moreirense 2-0 Santa Clara

While Moreirense have struggled for results in recent weeks, they will draw inspiration from their solid form on home turf, where they have picked up five wins and two draws from their last nine league games.

Santa Clara’s form on the road is also currently nothing to write home about and we fancy Costa’s men to come away with the desired result this weekend.

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