Santa Clara vs Benfica – News and Probable Lineups

As Benfica gears up for their crucial Champions League playoff against Real Madrid, they are keen to secure a favorable outcome when they face Santa Clara in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Friday.

The Azorean team, having struggled against Benfica in their last 10 confrontations, will be looking to break this six-year winless streak at the Estadio de Sao Miguel and climb out of the relegation zone.

Match overview

Though it is premature to fully gauge the effects of the managerial changes, Santa Clara continues to seek a vital turnaround after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Estrela Amadora last Saturday.

Petit’s initial match as head coach did not provide much immediate optimism, as Jovane Cabral scored just before the hour mark, securing all three points for Estrela at the Estadio Jose Gomes.

The recent loss to Estrela has deepened Santa Clara’s woes to four defeats in four matches and an eight-match winless streak in all competitions, which culminated in the end of Vasco Matos’s three-year term.

Repeated missed opportunities at the Estadio Jose Gomes highlighted Santa Clara’s offensive weaknesses, with the Azoreans managing only 16 goals in 21 Primeira Liga outings — surpassing only the bottom two teams, Tondela (14) and AVS (15), in that metric.

Just a year after achieving European football through an impressive fifth-place finish in the Primeira Liga last season, Petit’s squad now finds themselves battling to avoid relegation, currently sitting 16th in the standings with only 17 points from 21 matches, just two points adrift of safety.

On the flip side, Benfica managed to keep within striking distance of Porto at the top of the Primeira Liga table last Sunday, securing a 2-1 win over Alverca at the Estadio da Luz.

After a frustrating goalless draw with bottom-placed Tondela on February 1, As Aguias were in a precarious position when Figueiredo equalized in the 30th minute, cancelling out Andreas Schjelderup’s early goal in the 16th minute. However, substitute Anisio Cabral scored shortly after entering the match, securing a late winner for the hosts in the 86th minute.

Benfica, having lost three of their four matches between January 7 and January 21, have turned their form around recently, remaining unbeaten in their last four games with three victories and one draw, including a thrilling 4-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage on January 28.

Although Jose Mourinho’s squad remains the only unbeaten team in the Primeira Liga this season, their seven draws across the 21 games have resulted in dropping 14 points, leaving them seven points behind Porto at the top of the league.

Benfica will aim to close this gap on Friday as they head to the Estadio de Sao Miguel to meet a Santa Clara team that has not prevailed in their last 10 encounters, enduring eight losses and two draws since their last victory, a 4-3 result back in June 2020.

Team News

Heading into the weekend, Santa Clara will be without Brazilian defender Matheus Araujo, who has been sidelined since sustaining an injury against Arouca on December 21.

Unless other last-minute fitness issues arise, Araujo is the only confirmed absence for the home team, allowing new head coach Petit a relatively full squad to choose from.

Conversely, Benfica is currently facing an injury crisis, with players like Nuno Felix (knee), Joao Veloso (shoulder), and Danish defender Alexander Bah (knee) unavailable.

Portuguese goalkeeper Samuel Soares has been out since December due to injury, while Richard Rios will miss his eighth consecutive match after sustaining a shoulder injury against Porto on January 14.

Henrique Araujo continues to recover from a significant muscle injury, while experienced forward Dodi Lukebakio remains sidelined with a broken ankle since December.

Cape Verde defender Sydney Lopes is also set to miss this weekend’s match as he is suspended after accumulating yellow card bookings, including his last one against Alverca.

Santa Clara probable starting XI:

Baptist; Soares, Venancio, Lima, Victor; Araujo, Klismahn, Ferreira; Lopes, Wendel, Silva

Benfica probable starting XI:

Trubin; Silva, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Barreiro, Aursnes; Prestian, Silva, Schjelderup; pal

Benfica will approach this match with confidence as they face a struggling Santa Clara side, who have secured only two points from the last 24 available in the Primeira Liga. While Petit’s team will be eager to halt their losing streak this weekend, they face significant challenges against a talented Benfica squad, and we anticipate difficulties for them in front of their home fans.