Santa Clara vs Nacional prediction and betting tips on January 11, 2024
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Game Prediction
Thursdays traditionally don’t have much football. As a result, one of the main events will be the continuation of the schedule in the 1/8 finals of the Portuguese Cup. One of the pairs of the day will be Santa Clara and Nacional. These are clubs that are simultaneously fighting for access to the Primeira. Who will be better in this format? The analysts of the website have made a prediction for this match on January 11, 2024.
Santa Clara will try not to get stuck in the second division this time
“The Azoreans” have long had such a unique source of pride as the status of the most Western of all professional clubs in Europe. Still, the team managed to reach its maximum, 6th place in 2021 – that result even gave a chance to make a debut in the Conference League. There, the Portuguese club involuntarily staged a “Balkan voyage” in qualifying: it knocked out Macedonian Shkupi and Olimpia from Ljubljana, but experienced Partizan turned out to be stronger. It was just last spring that the team was relegated from the elite division of the country. And it tries to come back from the very first trial. And the team is quite successful – it turns out to be among the leaders. At the same time, the club was limited to a goalless draw in the struggle with Belenenses and even lost with a 0-1 score to Mafra at the home arena.
Nacional is also not against returning to the top league of Portugal
“The White and Blacks” were once again promoted to the Primeira in 2002 and stayed there continuously for a decade and a half. Then it was possible to return to the elite division of the country twice, in 2018/2019 and 2020/2021, but both times immediately ended up in the relegation zone. Then there were unsuccessful seasons: first, the team took 6th place in the Segunda, which was followed by the 13th position in the previous draw. Still, now the representative of Madeira is quite confidently taking the place in the top 3. It is reasonable to mention that only two clubs will go directly to the Primeira – thus, the fight will be here until the end of the championship, although the ambitious challenger was limited to only a 1-1 draw in the confrontation with Tondela.
Previous head-to-head matches
Santa Clara had got 4 wins in a row, but that happened within the top division of the country. And Nacional achieved at least a 1-1 draw in the Segunda in November.
Free prediction for the match Santa Clara vs Nacional on January 11:
It seems that the clubs are high in their division, but they are not in shape, and it is pretty doubtful if they are interested in the cup. We bet on “total: under 2.5” (odd: 1.71).