Santa Clara vs. Braga - prediction, team news, lineups

Winless against Braga successful six years, a Santa Clara broadside inactive successful relegation information invited the Europa League semi-finalists to Estadio de Sao Miguel for Sunday’s gameweek 31 clash.

Their 11-match tally highlights the hosts’ inferiority, arsenic they person not beaten their Minho-based visitors, who are 9 places supra them successful the Primeira Liga table.

Match preview

Just erstwhile Santa Clara thought top-flight information was assured, Petit’s men are looking nervously implicit their shoulders again.

The Ponta Delgada outfit’s five-match unbeaten tally betwixt precocious February and precocious March, comprising 3 consecutive wins implicit Vitoria Guimaraes (2-0), AFS (1-0) and Gil Vicente (1-0), lifted them 8 points wide of second-bottom Tondela and six supra Nacional successful the playoff spot.

However, nonaccomplishment to triumph successful the past three, picking up 1 constituent from an disposable 9 successful defeats to Sporting Lisbon (4-2) and Rio Ave (2-0) and a gully with Casa Pia (0-0) has dampened the temper again successful Ponta Delgada, with the Azoreans inactive 8 wide of Tondela but present conscionable 3 points supra Casa Pia successful the relegation playoff spot.

Petit’s squad volition invited a instrumentality to Estadio de Sao Miguel, wherever they person secured 17 of their 29 points, accounting for 58.6% of their total.

Improving that record, however, volition beryllium connected which Santa Clara broadside turns up connected Sunday successful a fixture that the Ponta Delgada outfit person historically struggled in.

The Azoreans person fallen to 8 defeats successful 11 meetings successful each competitions since earning back-to-back successes successful June and September 2020, and Braga caput into Sunday’s brushwood alert of their dominance, which has produced six wins successful the past seven, comprising 4 cleanable sheets.

The past 2 meetings person yielded 5-0 and 1-0 wins for Carlos Vicens’s side, further highlighting the distant side’s superiority implicit Santa Clara.

However, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however motivated the Archbishops are connected Sunday, fixed their existent presumption successful fourth: they are 15 points down third, incapable to drawback Sporting with 4 games near and person an eight-point pb implicit fifth-placed Famalicao.

As the visitors hole for their Europa League semi-final archetypal limb against Freiburg, they whitethorn prioritise their continental commitments implicit a top-flight crippled that holds small risk.

Still, the off-form hosts indispensable play good to decision Vicens’s men, whose 30 points earned successful 2026 outdo each but Benfica (36) and Porto (33), pointing to Os Arsenalistas’ consistency.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Braga Primeira Liga form:

Braga signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Matheus Araujo has yet to play successful 2026 owed to a genu injury, portion Henrique Silva volition service a one-game suspension for accumulated yellowish cards.

Although Vinicius Lopes heads into Sunday arsenic Santa Clara’s starring scorer, the six-goal guardant has scored conscionable erstwhile since January’s 3-3 gully astatine Nacional.

While Gabriel Silva has scored 3 of his 4 league goals successful 2026, the Brazilian has fired blanks successful 4 consecutive appearances, further underlining the location side’s dip successful attacking performance.

Braga’s Gabriel Martinez volition acquisition appraisal aft going disconnected injured against Casa Pia past clip out.

However, Adrian Barisic (groin), Sikou Niakate (Achilles) and Diego Rodrigues (ankle) are sidelined owed to injury, portion Joao Moutinho and Pau Victor volition service one-match suspensions.

The attacking work volition autumn connected Rodrigo Zalazar and Ricardo Horta, who person combined for 29 goals, accounting for 50% of Braga’s 58 successful 2025-26.

Santa Clara imaginable starting lineup:

Batista; Soares, Lima, Venancio, Romao; Tavares, Ferreira, Serginho; Silva, Paciencia, Lopes

Braga imaginable starting lineup:

Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Oliveira, Moscardo; Gomez, Gorby, Navarro, Lelo; Tiknaz; Zalazar, Horta

We say: Santa Clara 1-1 Braga

Braga whitethorn person 1 oculus connected their Europa League semi-final, but they inactive person capable extent and organisation to debar coming distant empty-handed from the Azores.

Santa Clara’s caller dip successful signifier and agelong winless tally successful this fixture suggest the visitors should astatine slightest beryllium susceptible of grinding retired a draw.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.