It's a new season, and Famalicão and Santa Clara are ready to kick off their Primeira Liga campaigns! The action is all set to go down this weekend at the Estádio Municipal de Famalicão.
Famalicaõ is fired up to finally snag a spot in Europe for the first time ever. They've been knocking on that door for a few seasons now, and this could be their year. But Santa Clara won't be an easy opponent—they're fresh off a season where they actually earned a spot in a European competition.
Since returning to the top flight in 2019, Famalicão has been a steady presence, usually finishing in the top half of the table. Their seventh-place finish last season was their second-best in club history. But there's still a feeling of "what if?" after a strong run was cut short. They won three games in a row between March and April, but then only managed one win in their final five matches, including a 2-1 loss to Santa Clara. That loss meant they were swept by Santa Clara last season and finished a full 10 points behind them for that final European qualification spot.
Despite that, there's a lot of optimism around Famalicão thanks to a great pre-season. They capped it off with a huge 4-1 victory over Arouca, and also had impressive wins against Celta Vigo (2-1) and Moreirense (1-0).
Meanwhile, Santa Clara is heading into the season with serious momentum. They've been busy playing both friendly matches and competitive Conference League qualifiers. They're on a five-match unbeaten streak and are feeling good about their chances. After securing three wins in four friendlies, they've gone on to win two of their three Conference League qualification matches. They edged out Varazdin 3-2 on aggregate and then dominated Larne with a 3-0 first-leg win.
With a big lead in the Conference League, Santa Clara's manager, Vasco Matos, will likely field a strong starting eleven for this match. Last season's fifth-place finish was their highest ever in the Primeira Liga, and they're determined to build on that success.
Looking at the squads, Famalicão has kept most of their key players, with defender Enea Mihaj being the only regular starter to leave. New signing Gustavo Garcia could get the nod at right back. Up front, the team will once again rely on their top scorers from last season, Sorriso and Gil Dias, with Oscar Aranda and Rochinha out due to injuries.
Santa Clara has also managed to keep their core group together, with Ricardinho being the only notable player from last season's starting lineup to be absent. Since their Conference League tie is well in hand, Matos might rotate his squad slightly to give new players like Henrique Pereira, Brenner Lucas, and Anthony Carter a chance to start. In the center of defense, with Pedro Pacheco injured, Luis Rocha, Sidney Lima, MT, and Venancio will be competing for the three available spots.
