Santa Clara and Belenenses square off in the Primeira Liga on Monday evening with just three points separating the clubs in the standings.

While neither team currently have genuine ambitions regarding catching the top six, the victors at Estadio de Sao Miguel will remain away from a relegation battle.

Match preview

On the back of just one league win in eight matches, Santa Clara were under pressure to get back on track when facing an improving Rio Ave side on Monday night.

However, a 2-1 victory, secured with an 89th-minute goal from Hidemasa Morita, moved Os Acoreanos into the top half of the table, six points above the bottom two.

Santa Clara may drop further down the standings after the weekend's fixtures, but Daniel Ramos will be relieved that the club are out of any immediate trouble.

Nevertheless, the exit from the Taca de Portugal has lowered the mood at the club, a result made worse as they were effectively kept out of the contest by Braga until a last-minute consolation goal.

Belenenses had also made progress in the cup until they were eliminated on Thursday night, suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away at Benfica.

Even with the Portuguese giants having to contend with positive coronavirus cases, Belenenses failed to make a dent on their hosts, leaving Petit's side to focus on league matters.

Having prevailed in just two of their last 14 matches, Petit will be relatively content with being able to prioritise their efforts in Portugal's top flight.

The 2-0 win over Tondela on Monday night felt like a turning point for Belenenses, although there will be an acknowledgement that they must build on scoring twice in a league match for just the second time this season.

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form: LLDDLW
Santa Clara form (all competitions): DDWLWL

Belenenses Primeira Liga form: LLDLLW
Belenenses form (all competitions): DLWLWL

Team News

Having made several changes for their recent Taca de Portugal tie, Ramos could revert back to the team which defeated Rio Ave.

That would include a recall for Crysan, who followed his recent run of assists with his first goal of the season against Braga.

Petit could take a similar approach when deciding upon his Belenenses XI, particularly having been able to rest players during the second half at Benfica.

Only three players - Tomas Ribeiro, Goncalo Silva and Tiago Esgaio - have played the full 90 minutes in the last two games.

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Ramos, Cardoso, Villanueva, Lucas; Junior, Morita, Carvalho, Salomao; Crysan, Costinha

Belenenses possible starting lineup:
Kritsyuk; Cafu, Silva, Ribeiro; Esgaio, Taira, Ramires, Lima; Cardoso, Cassierra, Varela

We say: Santa Clara 1-1 Belenenses

On the back of their victories last time out, both teams will feel that some pressure has been lifted ahead of this contest. Nevertheless, we expect two well-matched teams to grind out a draw on Monday, a result which may be accepted by the clubs at this stage of the season.

Top betting tip