Santa Clara vs Benfica Prediction, H2H Stats & Statistical Bets 26 October 2026
🔊 Back in February, Benfica left the Azores with a win over Santa Clara, who were sitting 16th at the time. Now, Petit’s side are unbeaten in eight Primeira Liga matches and trail the Lisbon giants by just a single point. A win on Monday would see the hosts leapfrog Benfica in the table. But for that to happen, Santa Clara’s defence will need to withstand an attack that has found the net in 30 consecutive games. Do Santa Clara have enough resilience to pull it off?
Head-to-Head
📊 Santa Clara are winless in their last 11 matches against Benfica, and have failed to pick up any points in nine of the previous ten head-to-head encounters. The Azoreans have conceded in each of the past 16 meetings between these sides. However, in the last three Primeira Liga clashes, the margin of victory has never been greater than a single goal.
Head-to-head statistics Santa Clara - Benfica
Santa Clara have conceded just four goals in eight rounds.
No team in the Primeira Liga boasts a tighter defense than Santa Clara: over eight rounds, the Azoreans have conceded just four goals-the same as table-toppers Porto. Petit’s side sit on 18 points, level with Sporting, and every one of those points has been hard-earned. That was evident away at Casa Pia: despite their opponents going down to ten men in the 52nd minute, Santa Clara only managed to secure victory in stoppage time. Substitute João Vasconcelos struck the winner from outside the box after a corner.
However, that defensive reliability faltered last week. In the Portuguese Cup, Santa Clara suffered a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Mafra, a third-division club. The Azoreans took the lead twice but played more than half the match with ten men.
Match Results: Santa Clara Azores
Benfica: goals despite a lengthy injury list
Marco Silva took charge of Benfica this summer after spending nine seasons in England. Since his arrival, his side have found the net in every competitive match. In the Europa League, both Celtic and Omonia conceded four goals each to the Lisbon club-even though Benfica travelled to Cyprus missing five players.
In the Primeira Liga, Benfica sit second with 19 points, five behind leaders Porto. Their only league defeat so far came at the hands of Porto back in September. Since then, Silva’s men have claimed victory in all three official fixtures. The manager keeps his statements measured. “We’ve learned that matches aren’t won by names or by a club’s stature,” Silva said ahead of the clash with Omonia.
Match Results: Benfica Lisbon
Latest news
Santa Clara Azores
❓ Petit will likely have to do without Jé Tavarez. In the cup clash against Mafra, the midfielder opened the scoring but picked up two yellow cards within five minutes before halftime. As a result, he is suspended for the match against Benfica.
Benfica Lisbon
❓ Ahead of the match, Silva described the number of absentees as “high.” The unavailable list included Barreiro, John Duran, Banjaki, Kaminski, and Barrenetxea.
Probable Lineups
📋 Santa Clara projected starting XI: Lucas Franca - Lucas Soares, Pedro Pacheco, Emanuel Moreira, Guilherme Romao - Pedro Ferreira, Joao Vasconcelos, Joao Rego - Vinicius Lopes, Goncalo Paciencia, Brenner.
📋 Benfica likely starting XI: Trubin - Bah, Tomas Araujo, Circati, El Karouani - Manu Silva, Aursnes - Rafa, Echeverri, Schjelderup - Pavlidis.
Total Goals Prediction
Benfica have scored more than one goal in 13 of their last 14 Primeira Liga matches. Away from home, they've managed at least two goals in six of their last seven league fixtures. Santa Clara, on the other hand, have conceded more than once just once in the league this season-and that was back on opening day against Nacional. Still, when these sides met in the Azores in February, the Lisbon giants were already two goals up by half-time. We expect the visitors to find the net at least twice. The bet - Benfica over 1.5 team goals at odds of 1.53*.
Corners Prediction
Both teams have seen more than eight corners in six of their last seven matches. Over their previous 10 official fixtures, Benfica have taken 67 corners while allowing their opponents just 38. Santa Clara, on the other hand, tend to defend more often, recording 43 corners for themselves and conceding 57. We anticipate at least nine corners in total in this encounter. Our pick: over 8.5 total corners at odds of 1.51*.
Yellow Cards Prediction
Over three yellow cards have been shown in 14 of the last 20 official meetings between these two sides. Santa Clara’s players have picked up 27 bookings in their last 10 matches, while their opponents from the Azores have seen 18. Benfica, over the same stretch, have collected 25 yellows and conceded 22. Even when playing with a man advantage against Casa Pia, Santa Clara still received five cautions. We don’t expect fewer than four cards here. The pick: Total yellow cards over 3.5.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers.
📌 Editorial Prediction
Santa Clara have come away empty-handed in nine of their last ten encounters with Benfica. It's hard to believe the Azoreans will finally get the better of the Lisbon giants after 11 attempts. However, Santa Clara have not lost by more than a single goal in 14 straight matches. Even their cup exit against Mafra saw just a one-goal margin. On home soil in the Primeira Liga, Petit’s side are unbeaten in six consecutive games. Benfica are the stronger team, but we’re not expecting a rout in the Azores. Bet - Santa Clara +1.5 handicap. Predicted score - 1:2.
Will this prediction come true?
No comments
Betting Tips: Santa Clara Azores - Benfica Lisbon
in 6 of last 7 away games (Liga Portugal).
in 6 of last 7 away games.in 9 of last 10 games against Benfica Lisbon.in 8 of last 9 games against Benfica Lisbon (Liga Portugal).in 6 of last 7 home games against Benfica Lisbon (Liga Portugal).in 11 of last 12 games.in 6 of last 7 games (Liga Portugal).
in 12 of last 13 games (Liga Portugal).in 8 of last 9 games.in last 6 home games (Liga Portugal).Comparison of Teams Stats
Other predictions
