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

High-flying Santa Clara invited relegation-threatened SC Farense successful gameweek 17 of the 2024-25 Primeira Liga play connected Sunday astatine the Estadio de Sao Miguel.

The promoted hosts are 4th successful the array with 30 points, portion the visitors inhabit the relegation playoff spot with 13 points, 1 spot supra the automatic relegation zone.

Match preview

© Imago

Santa Clara snapped a three-game winless tally successful each competitions successful their past Primeira Liga outing, with a 2-1 triumph implicit Famalicao astatine the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao connected December 30.

The Azoreans took the pb done Gabriel Silva's 32nd-minute penalty, and Brazilian centre-back Sidney Lima doubled their vantage successful the 51st infinitesimal earlier Sorriso pulled 1 backmost for Fama successful the 58th minute.

Before that triumph distant to Vila Nova, Vasco Matos's charges mislaid back-to-back matches successful the league, falling 1-0 to Arouca and 2-0 to Sporting Braga, with the nonaccomplishment to the second ending a six-match winning tally astatine home.

However, with the Azoreans backmost to winning ways, they present person 4 wins from 8 fixtures connected the roadworthy this season.

Key to the magnificent showing of the hosts this word is their show astatine home, a tally highlighted by six wins and lone 2 losses successful 8 encounters connected their turf.

A triumph for the Azoreans volition instrumentality their points haul to 33 and assistance their quest to suffice for Europe adjacent season.

Considering the near-perfect signifier of the hosts astatine location and their two-game winning streak against the visitors astatine the Estadio de Sao Miguel, Santa Clara volition beryllium assured of claiming yet different triumph connected their turf.

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SC Farense, meanwhile, played retired a 2-2 gully against Vitoria Guimaraes successful their past outing to stay unbeaten successful 2 matches successful each competitions astatine the Estadio de Sao Luis.

Trailing 2-1 with a fewer minutes near connected the clock, the hosts were staring a sixth location nonaccomplishment of the play successful the face, but a 98th-minute extremity by Angelo Neto salvaged a constituent for Toze Marreco's team.

The effect meant that the Lions of Faro missed retired connected the accidental to station their archetypal back-to-back wins successful the league since May 5.

Despite the outcome, Farense moved to 16th spot successful the array with 13 points, 1 spot supra the automatic relegation zone.

Having finished 10th successful the erstwhile campaign, the signifier of Marreco's squad this word has not inspired confidence.

Central to their travails successful the existent run is their mediocre distant signifier and a dearth of goals, with the visitors managing 1 triumph connected the roadworthy and scoring a meagre 11 goals truthful acold this season.

A triumph for the visitors connected Sunday could steer them further from the relegation zone; however, with lone 1 triumph successful 8 distant fixtures this season, determination is small oregon nary anticipation for the distant fans to clasp connected to up of the fixture.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara signifier (all competitions):

SC Farense Primeira Liga form:

SC Farense signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Only Porto's Samu Aghehowa has surpassed Vinicius Lopes's 4 match-winning goals successful the league, highlighting the striker's decisive execution.

Santa Clara volition beryllium without Luis Rocha, who volition beryllium serving a suspension owed to an accumulation of yellowish cards; successful his absence, Guilherme Ramos should measurement up to capable the void.

Other than that, Matos has a afloat complement of his squad to prime his starting XI.

For Farense, though Marreco volition person astir a afloat squad disposable to him, the visitors volition beryllium without centre-back Artur Jorge, who is suspended for this fixture, meaning that the trio of Marco Moreno, Lucas Africo and Claudio Falcao volition marque up the backmost three.

Similarly, substitute goalkeeper Kaique Pereira, who has been connected the sidelines owed to a fracture since October, is not expected to play a portion successful this fixture.

Santa Clara imaginable starting lineup:
Batista; Ramos, Venancio, Lima; Pereira, Firmino, Klishmahn, Calila; Silva, Lopes, Serginho

We say: Santa Clara 2-0 SC Farense

Santa Clara caput into this fixture with precise bully location form, having claimed six wins from their 8 location games this season.

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