Looking to end a frustrating run of results in the Primeira Liga, Maritimo welcome Santa Clara to the Estadio do Maritimo on Sunday evening.

The hosts sit 14th in the Portuguese top-flight table with eight points from nine matches, while the visitors occupy fourth place with 18 points, despite suffering their first league defeat last time out.

Match preview

Maritimo have found life back in the top flight difficult, with Mitchell van der Gaag’s side going seven league matches without a victory (D2, L5) since winning their opening two fixtures against Casa Pia and Famalicao.

The Madeira club’s struggles were evident last weekend, when they suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat away to Vitoria de Guimaraes, before another setback followed in midweek as they were eliminated by Sporting Lisbon in the Taca da Liga quarter-finals.

Van der Gaag’s men at least put up a fight against Sporting, but Adrian Butzke’s late strike proved little more than a consolation in that 2-1 loss at Estadio Jose Alvalade, leaving the Funchal club with just one victory in their last nine competitive outings (D2, L6).

Back in the Primeira Liga, Maritimo will be keen to avoid a third consecutive defeat in the competition for the second time this season, knowing that another loss could pull them closer to the relegation zone, with the Islanders currently just one point above the bottom three.

Defensive improvements are also needed, as O Maior das Ilhas have conceded 19 goals in the league this season, the second-highest tally in the division, while scoring an average of just one goal per game.

Home form offers little encouragement either, with Maritimo failing to win any of their last three matches on their own turf (D1, L2) after opening the campaign with a victory in Funchal.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, saw their unbeaten start to the league campaign come to an end against Benfica, who recovered from Fernando’s first-half penalty to claim a 2-1 victory in the Azores.

The defeat also marked a second consecutive loss for Petit’s side, who had previously been eliminated from the Taca de Portugal in extra time by lower-division Mafra, leaving the visitors keen to get back on track.

Nevertheless, Santa Clara have made a much stronger start to the campaign than they managed at the same stage of the 2025-26 season, having collected seven more points, with their progress built largely on a well-organised defence.

The Azoreans have allowed just seven goals in the league this term, with only leaders Porto allowing fewer in the division, with Petit’s team conceding only twice in four top-flight away matches in 2026-27, recording two wins and two draws in the process.

However, trips to Maritimo have rarely been straightforward for Santa Clara, who have managed just one victory in their last nine visits across the Primeira Liga and Liga 2, losing five of those encounters.
 

Maritimo Primeira Liga form:

Maritimo form (all competitions):

Santa Clara Primeira Liga form:

Santa Clara form (all competitions):

Team News

Maritimo are monitoring the fitness of Yellu Santiago, who has not featured since the opening fixture against Casa Pia, while Vladan Danilovic could miss a fourth consecutive match.

Attention will also fall on left-back Paulo Henrique, who came through Santa Clara’s youth system and will have the chance to face his former club on Sunday.

Santa Clara captain and leading scorer Goncalo Paciencia remains a doubt after missing the defeat to Benfica because of a knock sustained in training.

Fernando, who replaced Paciencia in attack last time out, received a red card after the final whistle, but the Brazilian is available, as any disciplinary sanction has been suspended for now.

Dje Tavares is also back in contention after serving a one-match suspension following his dismissal in the cup defeat to Mafra.

Maritimo possible starting lineup:

Vieites; Igor Juliao, Correia, Szalai, Henrique; Andrade, Guzzo; Bouzaidi, Alani, Tejon; Butzke

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:

Franca; Soares, Pacheco, Fernandes, Romao; Tavares, Borges, Ribeiro; Vinicius Lopes, Fernando, Brenner

We say: Maritimo 1-2 Santa Clara

Maritimo’s need for points could make them difficult opponents on home soil, but their prolonged winless run and recent defensive struggles leave them facing a difficult task against a well-organised Santa Clara side.

The visitors have been considerably more consistent this season and boast an impressive away defensive record, so we expect Petit’s men to respond to their first league defeat with a narrow victory in Funchal.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.