Santa Clara: strong pre-season form creates confidence

Following a difficult previous campaign, Santa Clara decided to continue with Peti in charge after he successfully guided the team away from relegation danger, collecting 19 points from the final 14 league fixtures. The upcoming season will be his first full campaign leading the club, giving him the opportunity to fully implement his ideas.

The Azores side enjoyed an encouraging summer, remaining unbeaten across five friendly matches and winning four. Their final warm-up performance was particularly impressive, as they defeated Arouca 3-0 with a dominant display. Playing at home could once again be a major advantage, as Santa Clara collected around two-thirds of their points on their own ground last season.

Nacional: rebuilding process begins under new management

Nacional are entering another season of transition after finishing 14th in the league for the second year running. This summer, João Giau was appointed as the new head coach, but the team’s preparation period has been far from convincing, with no victories recorded in six pre-season fixtures.

The biggest challenge for the visitors is replacing Jesus Ramirez, whose 18 goals last season made him the team’s main attacking threat. With his departure, much of the offensive burden is expected to shift onto 23-year-old forward Pablo Ruan, who will need to step up and fill the void left by the former top scorer.

Match facts and head-to-head record

Santa Clara finished pre-season unbeaten, recording four wins in five friendly matches.

Nacional failed to secure a victory in any of their six summer warm-up games.

Nacional have lost their last two away visits to Santa Clara and failed to score in either match.

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