While neither team currently have genuine ambitions regarding catching the top six, the victors at Estadio de Sao Miguel will remain away from a relegation battle.

Match preview

Daniel Ramos, now in charge of Santa Clara, pictured as Boavista boss in June 2020 © Reuters

On the back of just one league win in eight matches, Santa Clara were under pressure to get back on track when facing an improving Rio Ave side on Monday night.

However, a 2-1 victory, secured with an 89th-minute goal from Hidemasa Morita, moved Os Acoreanos into the top half of the table, six points above the bottom two.

Santa Clara may drop further down the standings after the weekend's fixtures, but Daniel Ramos will be relieved that the club are out of any immediate trouble.

Nevertheless, the exit from the Taca de Portugal has lowered the mood at the club, a result made worse as they were effectively kept out of the contest by Braga until a last-minute consolation goal.

Belenenses had also made progress in the cup until they were eliminated on Thursday night, suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away at Benfica.

Even with the Portuguese giants having to contend with positive coronavirus cases, Belenenses failed to make a dent on their hosts, leaving Petit's side to focus on league matters.

Having prevailed in just two of their last 14 matches, Petit will be relatively content with being able to prioritise their efforts in Portugal's top flight.

The 2-0 win over Tondela on Monday night felt like a turning point for Belenenses, although there will be an acknowledgement that they must build on scoring twice in a league match for just the second time this season.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form: LLDDLW
Santa Clara form (all competitions): DDWLWL

Belenenses Primeira Liga form: LLDLLW
Belenenses form (all competitions): DLWLWL

Team News

Belenenses head coach Petit pictured in June 2020 © Reuters

Having made several changes for their recent Taca de Portugal tie, Ramos could revert back to the team which defeated Rio Ave.

That would include a recall for Crysan, who followed his recent run of assists with his first goal of the season against Braga.

Petit could take a similar approach when deciding upon his Belenenses XI, particularly having been able to rest players during the second half at Benfica.

Only three players - Tomas Ribeiro, Goncalo Silva and Tiago Esgaio - have played the full 90 minutes in the last two games.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Ramos, Cardoso, Villanueva, Lucas; Junior, Morita, Carvalho, Salomao; Crysan, Costinha

Belenenses possible starting lineup:
Kritsyuk; Cafu, Silva, Ribeiro; Esgaio, Taira, Ramires, Lima; Cardoso, Cassierra, Varela

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We say: Santa Clara 1-1 Belenenses

On the back of their victories last time out, both teams will feel that some pressure has been lifted ahead of this contest. Nevertheless, we expect two well-matched teams to grind out a draw on Monday, a result which may be accepted by the clubs at this stage of the season.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Santa Clara win with a probability of 38.79%. A win for Belenenses had a probability of 31.43% and a draw had a probability of 29.8%.

The most likely scoreline for a Santa Clara win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.67%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.7%) and 2-1 (7.56%). The likeliest Belenenses win was 0-1 (11.92%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.43%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Santa Clara would win this match.