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

Fresh off a domestic cup elimination in midweek, Santa Clara turn their attention back to Primeira Liga action as they welcome Arouca to Estadio de Sao Miguel for round 15 on Sunday.

The Azoreans suffered a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Taca de Portugal on Thursday, while the Wolves arrive with fresher legs and greater momentum following their 1-0 league victory over Alverca last weekend.

Match preview

An occasion branded a “dark day for Portuguese football” by head coach Vasco Matos, Santa Clara were moments away from booking a place in the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals after Gabriel Silva put them 2-1 ahead in the 85th minute, only for a sequence of controversial incidents to derail their progress.

Paulo Victor was dismissed four minutes after the goal, with Frederico Venancio and Lucas Soares also shown red cards on the bench, while a penalty review lasting over 10 minutes eventually went Sporting’s way, allowing Luiz Suarez to convert from the spot deep into stoppage time.

It was only a matter of time before a depleted Santa Clara side finally gave way, as Fotis Ioannidis struck the winner in extra time to condemn Matos’s men to a second defeat in the space of three days.

That setback followed a 1-0 league loss to Braga last weekend, a result that ended a three-match unbeaten run across all competitions (W2, D1), which had included Primeira Liga results against Rio Ave (1-1) and Casa Pia (1-0).

Struggling to match the heights of last season’s fifth-place finish, Santa Clara’s main issue this term has been inconsistency, with just four victories from 14 top-flight outings and defeats accounting for half of that sequence.

The Azoreans have also lacked cutting edge in attack, managing just 11 league goals so far, with only the bottom two sides scoring fewer, leaving Matos searching for solutions to complement a decent defence that has conceded 15.

Currently 12th and five points clear of the relegation playoff place in the Primeira Liga table, the manager will be keen to create further breathing space, with victory potentially lifting Santa Clara into the top half depending on results elsewhere.

However, inconsistency at Sao Miguel casts doubt over their prospects, having won just three of seven league matches at the venue this season (D1, L3), while a pattern of alternating victories and losses across their last five home league games could extend further, especially after claiming maximum points in their most recent outing in front of their supporters.

Arouca will look to exploit their hosts’ stop-start trend, buoyed by last weekend’s victory over Alverca at Estadio Municipal, where Hyunju Lee’s second-half strike proved enough to secure a much-needed win against their 10-man opponent.

That result delivered the Wolves’s first clean sheet of the league campaign and ended a six-match losing streak across all competitions, which had also included a cup exit to lower-division side AD Fafe.

The remainder of that run featured league defeats to Benfica, Moreirense, Estoril Praia, Braga and Estrela Amadora, a sequence so damaging that the recent win only lifted Arouca out of the relegation zone and into 15th, two points clear of the playoff spot.

While that counts for progress still, Vasco Seabra will remain concerned by his side’s defensive record, having conceded a league-high 37 goals, while their 15 scored provide little relief at the other end.

Arouca’s struggles away from home also remain unresolved, having lost each of their last four matches on the road across all competitions, a worrying trend for a side that suffered a 2-0 defeat on their last visit to Santa Clara.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara form (all competitions):

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

Arouca form (all competitions):

Team News

Santa Clara will be able to call upon Victor and the other players dismissed in midweek, as domestic cup suspensions do not usually carry over into league competition.

However, Vinicius Lopes is ruled out with a leg problem, while Pedro Pacheco continues his lengthy recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.

Diogo Calila remains on international duty with Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations, making Lucas Soares’s run at right-back likely to continue.

Matheus Pereira could miss a fifth straight match, while Wedel’s absence against Sporting raises questions over his fitness, although no official update has been provided.

Silva is pushing for a starting role after his near-heroics in midweek, and it would be no surprise to see the winger return to the lineup for the first time since matchday six.

Arouca, meanwhile, have an almost full squad available, with Mateo Flores the only confirmed absentee as he continues his recovery from a meniscus injury.

Providing a timely boost for Seabra’s side is the return of midfielder Taichi Fukui and right-back Alex Pinto after serving their respective suspensions.

Meanwhile, Amadou Dante is away with the Mali national team at AFCON, meaning Arnau Sola is expected to continue at left-back.

Following his decisive goal off the bench against Alverca, Lee could be restored to the starting lineup after substitute appearances in his last two league matches.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Venancio, Rocha, Lima; Soares, Araujo, Ferreira, Firmino, Victor; Wendel, Brenner

Arouca possible starting lineup:

Mantl; Esgaio, Fayed, Popovic, Dante; P Santos, Van Ee; Trezza, H Lee, Djouahra; Nandin

We say: Santa Clara X-Y Arouca

This contest pits together the league’s weakest defence and one of its bluntest attacks, but we back Santa Clara to edge a narrow victory, potentially settled by a single goal, with Arouca likely to remain cautious after last weekend’s defensive improvement.

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