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

Santa Clara will welcome Nacional to the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Monday evening knowing that victory could keep their push for a top-half finish alive heading into the final weekend of the Primeira Liga campaign.

The hosts have steadied themselves after a difficult spell in April and remain strong at home, while the visitors travel to the Azores looking to bounce back from a damaging defeat that dragged them back into the relegation conversation.

Match preview

Santa Clara come into this fixture in relatively positive spirits after rescuing a 2-2 draw away to Arouca last weekend, a result that stretched their unbeaten run to three matches in the Primeira Liga.

The Azoreans had previously defeated Braga 2-1 at home following a goalless draw against Casa Pia, a sequence that helped them recover from consecutive defeats to Rio Ave and Sporting earlier in April.

While Santa Clara are no longer in danger of relegation, Petit's side still have motivation in the closing weeks of the campaign, as they aim to secure the highest finish possible after an inconsistent second half of the season.

Their main strength has been their defensive organisation at the Estadio de Sao Miguel, where they have collected three victories from their last four, securing wins over Braga, Gil Vicente and Vitoria SC in recent weeks while conceding just once across those matches.

The hosts will also draw confidence from their recent record in this fixture, having remained unbeaten in the last two meetings, earning a dramatic 3-3 draw away from home in January's reverse fixture after recovering from a difficult position.

Nacional, meanwhile, head into Sunday's contest under far more pressure following a 2-1 home defeat against AVS last time out, a result that halted momentum built from consecutive victories over Tondela and Alverca.

The Madeira-based side had looked to be moving away from trouble after collecting those six points, but that recent setback means they still cannot fully relax with only two rounds left to play.

Tiago Margarido's men have struggled badly away from home throughout the campaign, picking up just three wins from 16 league games on the road, with their recent victory over Tondela ending an 11-game winless streak on the road.

However, the visitors know that avoiding defeat here would significantly ease pressure heading into the final round, but their poor record at Santa Clara - just one one topflight win in four visits – suggest this will be another difficult assignment in the Azores.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Nacional Primeira Liga form:

Team News

Santa Clara are expected to remain without long-term absentee MT, who continues his recovery from a serious knee ligament injury.

Petit is otherwise likely to keep faith with much of the side that earned a draw against Arouca, with Goncalo Paciencia continuing to lead the attack, while Gabriel Silva offers support from the wing, hoping for goals in back-to-back matches.

Nacional, meanwhile, will definitely be without Ivanildo Fernandes and Ulisses Wilson, who remain sidelined through injury, while Ze Vitor is suspended following a sending off last time out.

Miguel Baeza is also doubtful because of a muscle issue, while Lucas Franca is looking to make a return from a thigh injury, though this game could come too soon for him.

Jesus Ramirez remains Nacional's biggest attacking threat after another strong scoring season with 16 league goals, while Filipe Soares will again be tasked with controlling midfield transitions for the visitors.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Calila, Lima, Venancio, Romao; Tavares, Klismahn, Araujo; Silva, Paciencia, Santos

Nacional possible starting lineup:

Kaique Pereira; Nunez, Santos, Aurelio, Gomes; Labidi, Soares, Junior; Veron, Ramirez, Bola

We say: Santa Clara 2-1 Nacional

Santa Clara appear to have regained stability at an important moment of the season, and their recent home performances suggest they have enough organisation and attacking quality to edge this contest.

Nacional remain dangerous going forward, but their away form has consistently undermined them throughout the campaign, and another difficult evening on the road could leave them nervously looking over their shoulder heading into the final weekend.

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