Santa Claravs.Porto

A stunning 4-1 victory for the promoted side leaves them top in the embryonic standings, followed by the Dragons, who began the new era under Vitor Bruno with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Gil Vicente.

Match preview

It took one year for Santa Clara to return to first-tier football, and Os Acoreanos started the campaign with a bang at Estoril, notching a 4-1 win that put them atop the standings after gameweek one.

The nature of that success means Vasco Matos's men enter Friday's match against potential title contenders with much-needed momentum, even if it remains to be seen if that counts for much against the giants.

The returning club were full value for their success having dominated possession (59%) and created the game's best chances away from home, showcasing their expertise against an Estoril side that avoided the relegation play-off by a point in 2023-24.

Against Porto, Santa Clara are not anticipated to have as much of the ball, and it remains to be seen how last season's second-tier champions adapt against the previous campaign's third-placed side.

Despite a five-match winless run against the giants, Os Acoreanos will enter Friday's match knowing that their side have only lost the last two meetings in all competitions 2-1 and held the Dragons on home soil in their ill-fated 2022-23 campaign.

Santa Clara face a different Porto side from the one that beat them 2-1 in the recent match-up between the clubs in February, with Sergio Conceicao departing after seven years, with his assistant receiving promotion to the head coach position.

The 41-year-old has had a commendable start to his tenure, defeating defending league champions Sporting in a wildly exciting seven-goal Portuguese Super Cup thriller at the beginning of the month, and his side followed that 4-3 success by keeping a clean sheet in their league-opening 3-0 triumph over Gil Vicente.

Porto seek to continue their unblemished start under their new boss, keen to keep pace with Sporting and Benfica, who finished 18 and eight points ahead of them in last season's final standings.

The 2018, 2020 and 2022 champions could not match the three previous title-winning campaigns in Conceicao's final year in charge, and they seek greater consistency in year one under Bruno.

Whether they are successful at the season's denouement remains to be seen, but winning games like Friday's at Santa Clara is the first step to mounting a title challenge.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

W

Porto Primeira Liga form:

W

Porto form (all competitions):

Team News

In the absence of 15-goal man Bruno Almeida last week, Santa Clara spread the goals around, with Alisson Safira, Vinicius Lopes, Ricardinho and Joao Costa scoring for the promoted side against Estoril.

Matos could name an unchanged side to the XI that secured maximum points in round one as everyone came out unscathed.

Porto are without long-term absentee Zaidu Sanusi (knee), while Francisco Conceicao could miss out because of a muscle complaint.

With Pepe retired, Diogo Costa has assumed the role of captain and last season's near ever-present goalkeeper should lead the team out on Friday.

Having netted two penalties last time out — converted by Ivan Jaime and Wenderson Galeno — Bruno's men will aim to fashion more open-play goalscoring opportunities this weekend.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Batista; Lima, Vanancio, A. Silva; Soares, Ferreira, Firmino, Araujo; Lopes, Safira, G. Silva

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Fernandes, Ze Pedro, Otavio, Galeno; Eustaquio, Varela; Borges, Gonzalez, Jaime; Namaso

We say: Santa Clara 1-3 Porto

Recent meetings between these sides have been settled by one goal and the corresponding fixture in 22-23 ended 1-1.

However, an in-form, free-scoring Porto side — considering pre-season results in which they have netted three goals or more in eight of their last nine — should secure the points in Ponta Delgada.

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