Santa Clara CD vs SL Benfica: Preview, Odds, Form Guide and Players to Watch (15 February) | OneFootball

Santa Clara CD will be looking for their first-ever home win against SL Benfica when they welcome the Lisbon giants to the Estadio de São Miguel this weekend. While on paper this may appear to be a one-sided affair, a youthful and energetic Santa Clara side should be optimistic about their chances going into Saturday’s encounter.

Benfica, currently second in the standings, will have their hands full when they take on a fifth-place Santa Clara team that have lost just one of their last six fixtures. Saturday’s matchup will also have significant implications on the European qualification spots, with Benfica aiming to maintain their four-point gap over FC Porto and SC Braga, and Santa Clara looking to give themselves some breathing room from Casa Pia AC and Vitória SC.

Preview

Santa Clara have a rich football history with the Azores club being founded back in 1921. The club made their first appearance in the Portuguese top flight in 1999, and have bounced between the first tier and second tier over the last 25 years. This season, however, Os Açorianos are in the midst of arguably the club’s greatest ever Primeira Liga season, holding on to a European qualification spot as teams enter the final third of the campaign.

Vasco Matos has been the man behind Santa Clara’s transformation. Under the young Portuguese manager, the club finished first in the second division in 2024 to secure promotion to the Primeira Liga. This season, Matos’ side have been the surprise package of the league, winning 12 of their first 21 matches and accumulating 38 total points. Santa Clara sit in fifth position in the table with a healthy five-point lead over Casa Pia, and eight points ahead of Vitória de Guimarães.

At home, Santa Clara have been sensational, securing 22 points from 11 matches. Only Portugal’s big three have a better record in home matches.

A well-organised defense has been the key to Santa Clara’s success over the 2024-25 campaign. The club has conceded 22 goals over 21 league games, an average of just 1.05 goals per game. Take away the 4-1 defeat to Benfica and the 3-2 defeat to Estoril earlier this season, and that figure drops to just 0.79 goals per game. Center back Sidney Lima has been one of the standout performers, providing a strong presence in Santa Clara’s back three (Matos generally prefers to stick with a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-2-1 formation). The 28-year-old Brazilian has made 20 appearances this season, and already has two goals and an assist to his name.

On the attacking front, Vinícius Lopes has led the way with seven goals in all competitions. Gabriel Silva is next on the list with six. The two forwards have combined for 48% percent of the club’s league goals this season.

Bruno Lage’s reign has had its ups and downs but his calm demeanor and fresh ideas have helped to turn Benfica’s season around. The Portuguese manager was brought in to replace German Roger Schmidt in August, whose time at the club seemed to have reached an impasse following a series of underwhelming performances.

Lage, now in his second spell with the club, has done well to get the best out of a talented Benfica group that struggled to find any consistency prior to his arrival. Benfica are currently second in the standings and trail their Lisbon rivals Sporting by just four points. They have already won the Allianz Cup (Taça da Liga), and will face Braga in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup at the end of the month. A 1-0 away win over Monaco on Wednesday in the Champions League makes Benfica heavy favorites to progress to the round of 16, meaning there is plenty for Benfica to play for in the coming weeks.

Benfica come into Saturday’s fixture in good form, winning four consecutive matches, which includes notable victories against Juventus and Monaco in Europe. A surprising 3-1 league defeat to Casa Pia on 25 January was a setback for the club, but Benfica remain within touching distance of Sporting after wins over Estrela Amadora and Moreiranse. Overall, Benfica have won 15, drawn two and lost four, accumulating 47 points from their first 21 matches.

Offensively, the Eagles have been one of the most dangerous teams in the league, tallying 49 goals over their first 21 league matches, an average of 2.33 goals per game. The goals have been coming from all ends of the pitch, with the club seeing 18 different players hit the target at some point of the season. Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis leads the squad with 15 goals in all competitions, followed by Angel Di María, who has 14. Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Zeki Amdouni, who have been used predominantly on the wings, have also been key figures in Lage’s offensive setup.

Injury Concerns for Benfica

Injuries have been piling up for Benfica with the club losing several big-name players over the last week. Against Moreirense on Saturday, Alexander Bah and Manu Silva both suffered ACL injuries that will see them miss the remainder of the season. During Wednesday’s matchup against Monaco, Angel Di María and Fredrik Aursnes also sustained injuries. Tiago Gouveia and Renato Sanches will also miss out on Saturday’s game.

Odds

Santa Clara  5.60, Benfica 1.55, Draw 3.85

Over 2.5 total goals: 1.98, Under 2.5 goals: 1.57

*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.

Form Guide (All Competitions)

Santa Clara:

Benfica:

Head-to-head Record

Although Benfica and Santa Clara have both existed for well over 100 years, the two clubs have only met on 19 occasions, with the first meeting between the two sides taking place in 1999.

Benfica have held the advantage in the fixture, winning 16 (84.2%), drawing two (10.5%) and losing one (5.3%). Santa Clara’s only victory in this fixture came during the 2019-20 campaign, with the club pulling off a memorable 4-3 victory at the Estádio da Luz.

Santa Clara and Benfica have already met twice this season with Benfica winning both games convincingly. On 14 September, the two teams met in Lisbon and things seemed to be going Santa Clara’s way after an early strike saw the visiting team go ahead in the first minute. Benfica, however, battled back with goals from Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Florentino Luís, António Silva and Angel Di María to secure a comfortable 4-1 victory.

In October, Benfica and Santa Clara were drawn together in the quarter-finals of the Allianz Cup, with two goals from Pavlidis and another from Di María enough to see the Lisbon side earn a 3-0 victory to progress to the next round.

Players to Watch

Vinícius Lopes remains the leading scorer for Santa Clara, but keep an eye out for 22-year-old winger Gabriel Silva. The former Palmeiras product has been a constant threat down the wing, causing problems for opposing full backs with his speed and lively footwork. Silva already has six goals and four assists in 24 appearances.

Following his incredible first-half hat-trick against European giants Barcelona in January, Vangelis Pavlidis has continued his hot streak. Coming into the season, there were concerns as to whether the Greek striker could take on the responsibilities that come with being Benfica’s no. 9. Over the last few weeks, Pavlidis has quelled any doubts about his abilities, and proven that he is more than capable of providing big goals in big moments.

This season, Pavlidis has already recorded 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions. The talented striker has scored five goals in his last four appearances, including an exquisite finish against Monaco in midweek, which turned out to be decisive in the team’s 1-0 first leg victory.