Manuel Chávez
Dailysports's expert
In the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, Santa Clara will face Porto. You can read the forecast for this event on the pages of our website.
Santa Clara
Last season, Santa Clara dropped out of the elite Portuguese football division, although the club has good chances to immediately return as they currently lead the second division after 20 rounds, ahead of the closest pursuer by 3 points. In their last match, the team couldn't beat one of the underdogs, Vilafranquense, away from home, drawing 1-1. They missed the opportunity to snatch victory in the 90+2nd minute when Safira failed to convert a penalty. Reaching the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup is already a decent result, although it will be very challenging to overcome one of the giants.
Porto
It's been tough for "Dragons" to compete for the title this season. The team currently sits third in the league, trailing the leader by 6 points, which could increase to 7 if Sporting wins their postponed match. In the last round, Porto dropped important points at home against modest Rio Ave, drawing 0-0. The hosts deserved a win, but their finishing let them down, with two goals being disallowed after video reviews. The Portuguese Cup presents a good opportunity for Porto to secure at least one trophy this season.
Interesting Match Facts and Head-to-Head History
- Santa Clara put up serious resistance in the head-to-head matches last season, drawing 1-1 at home and losing 1-2 away.
- Porto is undefeated in eight consecutive matches in all competitions.
- Santa Clara is unbeaten in five official matches in a row.
Santa Clara vs Porto Prediction
The guests understandably come in as favorites, but for smaller clubs, cup tournaments represent a glimmer of hope to claim a trophy. Porto will arrive solely for victory, as any other outcome won't satisfy them. Representing different divisions adds some pressure on the favorite. We consider a bet on the guests to win with a -1 goal handicap to be reasonable.
