Maritimo vs Santa Clara - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to extremity a frustrating tally of results successful the Primeira Liga, Maritimo invited Santa Clara to the Estadio bash Maritimo connected Sunday evening.

The hosts beryllium 14th successful the Portuguese top-flight table with 8 points from 9 matches, portion the visitors inhabit 4th spot with 18 points, contempt suffering their archetypal league decision past clip out.

Match preview

Maritimo person recovered beingness backmost successful the apical formation difficult, with Mitchell van der Gaag’s broadside going 7 league matches without a triumph (D2, L5) since winning their opening 2 fixtures against Casa Pia and Famalicao.

The Madeira club’s struggles were evident past weekend, erstwhile they suffered a dense 5-0 decision distant to Vitoria de Guimaraes, earlier different setback followed successful midweek arsenic they were eliminated by Sporting Lisbon successful the Taca da Liga quarter-finals.

Van der Gaag’s men astatine slightest enactment up a combat against Sporting, but Adrian Butzke’s precocious onslaught proved small much than a consolation successful that 2-1 nonaccomplishment astatine Estadio Jose Alvalade, leaving the Funchal nine with conscionable 1 triumph successful their past 9 competitory outings (D2, L6).

Back successful the Primeira Liga, Maritimo volition beryllium keen to debar a 3rd consecutive decision successful the contention for the 2nd clip this season, knowing that different nonaccomplishment could propulsion them person to the relegation zone, with the Islanders presently conscionable 1 constituent supra the bottommost three.

Defensive improvements are besides needed, arsenic O Maior das Ilhas person conceded 19 goals successful the league this season, the second-highest tally successful the division, portion scoring an mean of conscionable 1 extremity per game.

Home signifier offers small encouragement either, with Maritimo failing to triumph immoderate of their past 3 matches connected their ain turf (D1, L2) aft opening the run with a triumph successful Funchal.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, saw their unbeaten commencement to the league run travel to an extremity against Benfica, who recovered from Fernando’s first-half punishment to assertion a 2-1 triumph successful the Azores.

The decision besides marked a 2nd consecutive nonaccomplishment for Petit’s side, who had antecedently been eliminated from the Taca de Portugal successful other clip by lower-division Mafra, leaving the visitors keen to get backmost connected track.

Nevertheless, Santa Clara person made a overmuch stronger commencement to the run than they managed astatine the aforesaid signifier of the 2025-26 season, having collected 7 much points, with their advancement built mostly connected a well-organised defence.

The Azoreans person allowed conscionable 7 goals successful the league this term, with lone leaders Porto allowing less successful the division, with Petit’s squad conceding lone doubly successful 4 top-flight distant matches successful 2026-27, signaling 2 wins and 2 draws successful the process.

However, trips to Maritimo person seldom been straightforward for Santa Clara, who person managed conscionable 1 triumph successful their past 9 visits crossed the Primeira Liga and Liga 2, losing 5 of those encounters.
 

Maritimo Primeira Liga form:

Maritimo signifier (all competitions):

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Maritimo are monitoring the fittingness of Yellu Santiago, who has not featured since the opening fixture against Casa Pia, portion Vladan Danilovic could miss a 4th consecutive match.

Attention volition besides autumn connected left-back Paulo Henrique, who came done Santa Clara’s younker strategy and volition person the accidental to look his erstwhile nine connected Sunday.

Santa Clara skipper and starring scorer Goncalo Paciencia remains a uncertainty aft missing the decision to Benfica due to the fact that of a sound sustained successful training.

Fernando, who replaced Paciencia successful onslaught past clip out, received a reddish paper aft the last whistle, but the Brazilian is available, arsenic immoderate disciplinary authorisation has been suspended for now.

Dje Tavares is besides backmost successful contention aft serving a one-match suspension pursuing his dismissal successful the cupful decision to Mafra.

Maritimo imaginable starting lineup:

Vieites; Igor Juliao, Correia, Szalai, Henrique; Andrade, Guzzo; Bouzaidi, Alani, Tejon; Butzke

Santa Clara imaginable starting lineup:

Franca; Soares, Pacheco, Fernandes, Romao; Tavares, Borges, Ribeiro; Vinicius Lopes, Fernando, Brenner

We say: Maritimo 1-2 Santa Clara

Maritimo’s request for points could marque them hard opponents connected location soil, but their prolonged winless tally and caller antiaircraft struggles permission them facing a hard task against a well-organised Santa Clara side.

The visitors person been considerably much accordant this play and boast an awesome distant antiaircraft record, truthful we expect Petit’s men to respond to their archetypal league decision with a constrictive triumph successful Funchal.

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