Preview: Arouca vs. Santa Clara - prediction, team news, lineups

Having secured a 2-1 victory when the sides met in August's reverse fixture, the Arouquenses will head into the weekend looking to complete their first league double over the visitors.

Match preview

Arouca failed to arrest their slump in form as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient Gil Vicente side at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos last Sunday.

Oday Dabbagh continued his superb form in front of goal as he struck on the half-hour mark to put the visitors ahead before Brazilian forward Vitor Carvalho restored parity in the 37th minute to force a share of the spoils.

Prior to that, Arouca were dumped out of the Taca da Liga on January 24, when they were beaten 2-1 by Sporting Lisbon before suffering a 3-0 league thrashing at the hands of Benfica one week later.

For all their recent struggles, Armando Evangelista's men currently sit seventh in the Primeira Liga table with 27 points from 19 matches, three points adrift of fifth-placed Casa Pia in the final Conference League qualification spot.

This has been owing to their decent run of results on home turf, where they have picked up four wins from their last six outings in the league, scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets since the start of October.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara boss Jorge Simao will feel satisfied with his side's resilient display last Saturday, when they fought back from behind twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Boavista.

In an end-to-end affair at the Estadio de Sao Miguel, the hosts fell behind twice in the game courtesy of strikes from Frenchman Vincent Sasso but Palmeiras loanee Gabriel Silva restored parity on both occasions to force a share of the spoils.

However, the result meant Santa Clara have now failed to win any of their last 10 matches across all competitions — a run which saw them crash out of the Taca da Liga in the group stages after finishing rock-bottom in Group G with one point from a possible 12.

With 15 points from 19 matches, Os Acoreanos are currently 16th in the Primeira Liga standings, four points off 15th-placed Gil Vicente just outside the relegation playoff spot.

Simao will hope Saturday's result over Boavista can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as Santa Clara look to end their three-game winless streak against Arouca, a run dating back to December 2021.

However, they journey to a bogey Estadio Municipal de Arouca, where they are winless in six of their last seven visits, losing five matches and claiming one draw since February 2011.

Arouca Primeira Liga form:

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Arouca form (all competitions):

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Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

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Team News

With his strike against Gil Vicente, Dabbagh has netted eight goals in his last 11 matches and the 24-year-old forward will certainly be one to look out for.

On the injury front, Arouca will be without several key players down the spine of the team as the likes of Weverton, Sema Velazquez, and forward Vitinho are currently recuperating from injuries.

Former Las Palmas man Rafa Mujica is set to sit out his 10th consecutive game through a knee injury, while Tiago Esgaio is a major doubt after missing the last two matches.

As for Santa Clara, Simao will be unable to call upon veteran goalkeeper Marco Rocha, who has been sidelined since October through a hamstring problem.

He is joined on the club's injury table by Portuguese midfielder Tomas Domingos, who has also been sidelined since last May when he suffered an ACL injury.

Arouca possible starting lineup:

Arruabarrena; Milovanov, Basso, Galovic, Correia; Busquets, Simao; Sylla, Ruiz, Antony; Dabbagh

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Calila, Boateng, Italo, Henrique; Bobsin, Costinha, Misao; Allano, Gonzalez, Silva

We say: Arouca 2-1 Santa Clara

While Os Acoreanos will be looking to take the positives from Monday's draw, they have struggled for results against Arouca in recent meetings. Buoyed by their home fans, we predict Arouca will come away with a slender victory and extend their winning streak against Arouca to three matches.

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