Santa Clara vs Benfica prediction: teams form analysis, possible lineups on October 26, 2026
Primeira Liga Portugal
On October 26, 2026, Santa Clara and Benfica will meet in the 9th round of Portugal's Primeira Liga. Even a draw would be another setback for the visitors, but they face a tricky opponent.
Santa Clara - Benfica team news and expert analysis
The club from Ponta Delgada finished only 13th last season with 36 points. However, they have made a strong start this time around and currently remain among the contenders for European qualification. In the previous round, they claimed another win, beating Casa Pia 1-0. In the cup, though, they suffered a surprise defeat to modest Mafra.
The Lisbon giants finished only third in the previous Primeira Liga campaign, despite not losing a single match. Marco Silva took over as head coach in the summer, but even he began with a draw against Academico de Viseu and has already suffered defeat to Porto. In the Europa League, however, the Portuguese side comfortably came through qualifying and opened the league phase with a 2-0 win away to Milan. They then demolished Celtic 4-1. The same scoreline was repeated against Omonia.
The islanders have been impressive: they score 1.5 goals per game while conceding several times fewer — just 0.5. The visitors from the capital average 3.0 goals scored and only 0.88 conceded.
Previous meetings: Santa Clara - Benfica
A year ago, the current hosts held on for a draw at "Da Luz". However, they lost each of the other nine most recent encounters.
The hosts are a solid side, but ambitious Benfica simply cannot afford any more slip-ups. They will win with a "-1 goal" handicap (odds – 1.64).
Santa Clara - Benfica: key statistics and trends
- Santa Clara have won five of their last seven league matches
- Both teams have scored in 38% of Santa Clara's matches, while the average total goals per game is 2.0
- Benfica have won six of their last seven Primeira Liga matches
- Both teams have scored in 50% of Benfica's matches, while the average total goals per game is 3.88
Santa Clara - Benfica: possible starting lineups
Santa Clara play in a 1-4-3-3 formation (possible lineup): Lucas França — Lucas Soares, Emanuel Moreira, Pedro Pacheco, Guilherme Romão — Pedro Ferreira, Tiago Ribeiro, Di Tavares — Brenner Lucas, Gonçalo Paciência, Vinícius Lopes
Benfica play in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (possible lineup): Samuel Soares — Alexander Bah, Chiqueti, Tomás Araújo, Dahl — Leandro Barreiro, João Palhinha — Rafa Silva, Prestianni, Schjelderup — Pavlidis
Place your bet on the upcoming match and follow the team's performance in the Portugal Primeira Liga standings
