Preview: Santa Clara vs Vitoria de Guimaraes - prediction, team news, lineups

Santa Clara seek their first victory in 2026 as they welcome Vitoria de Guimaraes to Estadio de Sao Miguel for Sunday’s Primeira Liga matchday 25 clash.

A wretched run of form has seen the Azoreans plummet into the relegation zone, sitting only above bottom-placed AVS and two points adrift of safety, while the Conquerors occupy ninth in the Portuguese top-flight table, 12 points off the top four and eight behind fifth place.

Match preview

The only side yet to taste victory in the Primeira Liga since the turn of the year, Santa Clara’s most recent triumph already feels distant, last winning on December 6 when they edged Casa Pia 1–0 at Sao Miguel.

The Azoreans have now gone 11 league outings without a win (D4, L7) and 12 across all competitions - including their Taca de Portugal elimination in mid-December - having struggled to turn the corner despite a managerial change.

Brought in to replace the sacked Vasco Matos, Petit has managed to pick up just two points from a possible 12 since his appointment in early February, although the manager could take some encouragement from his side halting a five-match losing run with resilient displays in their last two outings.

Just a week after coming from behind to snatch a 1–1 draw at Alverca, Santa Clara twice fought back in last weekend’s 2–2 stalemate at Tondela, thanks to Gabriel Silva’s 15th-minute strike and Serginho’s late penalty.

The Azoreans have now conceded the opening goal in each of their last seven outings, but Petit will be hoping for a fast start this Sunday to improve his side’s chances of taking maximum points and ending a six-game winless home run across all competitions (D1, L5).

Battling their own difficulties, Guimaraes have lost their last three away games, conceding three or more goals in each, which is a stark contrast to their previous five matches outside their ground, where they kept three clean sheets, won four and drew the other one.

The Conquerors’s poor away form has also contributed to their recent inconsistency, having managed just two victories from seven matches (D1, L4) since lifting the Taca da Liga in January.

The only stalemate in that run came in a 1–1 home draw against Alverca last weekend, when Samu’s 46th-minute opener proved insufficient for Luis Pinto’s side, who had to settle for a share of the spoils after conceding shortly after the hour mark.

Winless in back-to-back games, having also lost to arch-rivals Braga the week prior, Guimaraes’ hopes of a continental finish appear bleak with 10 games left to play; however, victory this weekend would certainly spark belief – something the Conquerors would relish, especially given their recent dominance in this fixture.

The Minho visitors have won four of their last five meetings with Santa Clara (L1), including a 2–1 success in this season’s reverse fixture back in October, though there will be a need for caution given Vitoria suffered defeat on their most recent visit to the Azores.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Santa Clara will have to cope without the services of attacker Vinicius Lopes, who has been handed a one-match ban for his indecent gesture towards Tondela supporters last time out.

On the injury front, Matheus Araujo (MT) will continue his recovery from a cruciate ligament tear that has ruled him out of contention since December, while left-back Paulo Victor could miss a second consecutive outing.

On a positive note, centre-back Frederico Venancio will return to the fold after serving a suspension for the accumulation of bookings.

Guimaraes will remain without Oscar Rivas, as the centre-back continues his recovery from a muscle injury that has sidelined him since mid-December.

Defender Miguel Nobrega and attacker Nelson Oliveira both missed last weekend’s game against Alverca, making their availability for this one doubtful.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Calila, Venancio, Lima, Romao; Araujo, Ferreira, Tavares; Torrao, Oliveira, Silva

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Charles; Strata, Abascal, Balieiro, J Mendes; Beni, Sousa; G Silva, Samu, Saviolo; Ndoye

We say: Santa Clara 1-1 Vitoria de Guimaraes

This is an encounter between two sides lacking confidence in recent weeks; with Santa Clara on a four-game losing streak at home and Guimaraes also suffering consecutive defeats on their recent road trips, we expect both teams to cancel each other out, with a draw appearing the most likely outcome.

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