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

Two teams looking to end their respective winless runs in the Primeira Liga face off on Saturday as Santa Clara welcome Casa Pia to Estadio de Sao Miguel for round 13 action.

While the Azoreans have not recorded a league victory in each of their last three outings, the Geese are on a longer drought, having gone seven without a win (D4, L3).

Match preview

Comfortably dispersing lower-league minnows Comercio e Industria in the Taca de Portugal fourth round gave Santa the right momentum heading into last weekend’s trip to Vila do Conde, but they failed to build on it.

Even so, taking a point at Rio Ave was a reasonable outcome, given Vasco Matos’s side had lost their previous two league matches and there was little in the game to regret.

In a balanced contest with four shots on target apiece, a pre-match-scrutinised penalty spot stole the headlines as Clayton missed from 12 yards before scoring moments later, while Serginho converted his own spot-kick to bring Santa level in the 38th minute, and that proved the final act of a 1-1 draw.

There have been talks of improvement in the Azoreans’s recent performances, but there is no getting away from the fact that this has been an underwhelming campaign for a side that finished a lofty fifth last season.

Sitting 12th in the Primeira Liga standings after collecting 12 points from as many games (W3, D3, L6), Santa’s struggles have largely stemmed from a blunt attack that has produced just 10 goals – with only AVS and Tondela managing fewer – while also conceding 14 at the other end.

Home form has also been patchy, with two wins from six league games (D1, L3) this season, though the Azoreans have tended to respond perfectly after dropping points at Sao Miguel, so victory on Saturday would not surprise, especially with their last outing at the ground ending in defeat to Sporting Lisbon.

Casa Pia looked revived under interim boss Goncalo Brandao after holding Benfica to a dramatic draw and beating Alpendorada in the cup, but they were brought back down to earth with a 2-0 home defeat to Alverca last weekend.

Patrick Sequeira’s dismissal before the interval proved costly as the Geese conceded twice late on, slipping to a seventh league defeat and remaining just above the relegation playoff spot with nine points (W2, D3).

Ganos’s woes stem from imbalance across the pitch, having netted 13 times while conceding twice as many – with 17 shipped in their last six matches – leaving Brandao with issues to deal with in both attack and defence heading into Friday’s trip.

Considering both of their two league victories this season came on the road – with seven points taken from an available 18 – there should be some sense of optimism in Casa Pia’s camp, even if they lost both games against Santa last term, including a 2-1 defeat in the corresponding fixture.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara form (all competitions):

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

Casa Pia form (all competitions):

Team News

Santa Clara’s top scorer, Vinícius Lopes, was unavailable for the trip to Ave and remains a doubt for Saturday’s match, while left-back Matheus Pereira may miss a third straight outing, with Gabriel Silva also likely to be sidelined for a fifth consecutive match.

Brenner was forced off last time out, and if still unfit, Luquinhas may partner Wendel up front, while Pedro Pacheco remains unavailable as he continues a long-term recovery from a cruciate ligament injury.

For Casa Pia, Ricardo Batista is expected to step in for the suspended Sequeira, making his first Primeira Liga appearance in roughly 16 months.

Clau Mendes and Kiki remain sidelined, while Korede Osundina, Max Svensson and Iyad Mohamed are also likely to miss out again.

Centre-back David Sousa is expected to return from suspension and should probably replace Abdu Conte in the starting XI.

Casiano is set to lead the line once more, with Jeremy Livolant and Kelian Nsona likely supporting from wide, though Tiago Morais is also an option.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

G Batista; S Lima, L Rocha, Venancio; Soares, Firminho, Ferreira, Serginho, Victor; Luquinhas, Wendel

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

R Batista; Sousa, Fonte, K Rocha; Geraldes, Brito, Perez, Larrazabal; Livolant, Cassiano, Nsona

We say: Santa Clara 2-1 Casa Pia

Despite neither side being convincing this season, Santa carry stronger momentum into this meeting and should feel buoyed to claim maximum points against a Casa Pia team they have beaten in their last two head-to-head encounters.

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