Preview: Santa Clara vs. Maritimo - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh off the back of ending a run of four games without victory, Maritimo travel to the Estadio de Sao Miguel to take on Santa Clara in round 31 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.

Os Acoreanos, on the other hand, will be seeking to get one over the visitors after suffering a 4-1 defeat when the sides squared off back in December's reverse fixture.

Match preview

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Santa Clara continue to struggle for consistency in the Portuguese Primeira Liga as they could only salvage a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw against Arouca last Friday.

Following a drab first half at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca, Andre Silva broke the deadlock nine minutes after the interval, but Kyosuke Tagawa struck in the 72nd minute to force a share of the spoils.

Prior to that, Mario Silva's men ended their three-game winless run when Ricardinho and Tagawa scored in either half to secure a 2-0 victory over Estoril Praia on April 10.

With 35 points from 30 games, Santa Clara currently occupy 10th place in the Primeira Liga standings, one point and three places adrift of Saturday's visitors.

Elsewhere, Maritimo returned to winning ways in style when they comfortably saw off 10-man Boavista 4-0 when the sides met at the Estadio do Maritimo last Saturday.

Brazilian defender Matheus Costa opened the floodgates with his 41st-minute strike as Joel Tagueu netted three goals in a 24-minute spell to cap a sensational individual display.

O Maior das Ilhas were previously on a run of four games without a victory, managing one draw and suffering three defeats since a 1-0 win at Moreirense on March 6.

With just four games left to play, manager Vasco Seabra will hope the victory over Os Axadrezados can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as they look to close out the season on a high and boost their chances of a top-half finish for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

However, next up is the stern test of taking on Santa Clara at the Estadio de Sao Miguel, where Silva's men are unbeaten this year, claiming six wins and three draws since a 3-0 loss to Porto last November.

Team News

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Portuguese midfielder Costinha remains the only injury concern for Santa Clara as the 29-year-old has been sidelined since last August when he suffered an Achilles tendon injury.

With his strike against Arouca last time out, Tagawa has now found the target in two consecutive games and we expect the Tokyo FC loanee to spearhead the attack for the third game on the spin.

As for Maritimo, Italian forward Stefano Beltrame continues his spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in the game against Vitoria de Guimaraes on March 13.

Tagueu turned in a performance of the highest quality in last weekend's game against Boavista and the 28-year-old forward will look to deliver the goods once again.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Pereira; Sagna, Villanueva, Boateng, Mansur; Carvalho, Nene; Costa, Ricardinho, Allano; Tagawa

Maritimo possible starting lineup:

Victor; Winck, M Costa, Junior, V Costa; Pelagio, Rossi; Costa, Henrique, Xadas; Tagueu

We say: Santa Clara 1-0 Maritimo

Buoyed by the victory over Boavista, Maritimo will head into the weekend with renewed belief as they look to leapfrog the hosts in the table. However, Santa Clara boasts one of the best home records this year and we predict they will keep this fine run going and come away with all three points.