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

Santa Clara will be aiming to recover from their opening-day setback when they welcome Moreirense to Estadio de São Miguel this weekend for round two of the Primeira Liga.

The Azores side have alternated between continental duty and league action in the past week and suffered a chastening loss to Famalicao last weekend, while the visitors arrive buoyed by victory over Alveca.

Match preview

Every rose has its thorn, and that could be the case for Vatos Matos, who led newly promoted Santa Clara to a remarkable fifth-place finish last season – the club’s best-ever top-flight achievement – but now faces the challenge of managing a gruelling schedule that combines continental and league fixtures.

Last weekend’s 3-0 reverse at Famalicao reflected a side suffering from fatigue, with only two changes made from the line-up that started three days earlier in the first leg of their Conference League third qualifying round win at Larne.

Os Acorianos head into this contest following a goalless draw in the return fixture against the Northern Irish side, sealing their progression to the final stage of the qualifiers, where Shamrock Rovers await.

Before hosting the Irish outfit at Estadio de Sao Miguel for Thursday’s first leg, Santa Clara will be determined to respond to their league setback and make the most of home advantage this weekend.

However, Moreirense will take confidence from an unbeaten run in their last three top-flight visits to the Azores, all of which have ended in draws.

The Green and Whites are entitled to feel optimistic about extending that sequence, particularly after last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Alveca, sealed by Yan Maranhao’s stoppage-time winner.

That result gave manager Vasco Botelho da Costa the perfect start against his former club, having guided them to promotion with a second-place finish in the 2024-25 Liga Portugal 2.

The triumph leaves Costa’s men sitting seventh after one round, with the target now to push for at least a top-half finish this season, building on last term’s 10th place.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara form (all competitions):

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Moreirense form (all competitions):

Team News

Manager Matos rested key figures in midweek, but Luis Rocha and Matheus Pereira are expected to reclaim their starting spots.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old winger Gabriel Silva is also likely to start after featuring from the bench in that tie, while new signing Elias Manoel is pushing for his first appearance in the starting XI.

Defensive midfielder Pedro Pacheco remains Santa Clara’s only absentee as he continues his injury rehabilitation.

The visitors, on the other hand, will be without midfielder Guilherme Liberato and centre-back Michel for this encounter.

Sunday’s contest may come a little too soon for new recruit Landerson – who joined in midweek – particularly with both Guilherme Schettine and Maranhao on the scoresheet last time out.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; MT, Lima, Rocha; Pereira, Firmino, Serginho, Soares; Pereira, Manoel, Silva

Moreirense possible starting lineup:

Secco; Martínez, Marcelo, Maracas, Pinto; Stjepanovic. Ofori, Alonso; Bondoso, Schettine, Teguia

We say: Santa Clara 1-1 Moreirense

With Santa Clara navigating a demanding schedule that sees them balancing European and domestic commitments, taking maximum points here could prove difficult, and another stalemate seems likely given the trend of recent meetings at Sao Miguel.

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