Santa Clara vs Benfica
Benfica snatch win at Santa Clara
A second-half double from Pavlidis and Prestianni turns the tide after an early penalty.
Santa Clara took an early lead through Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira's penalty in the first half, but Benfica responded strongly after the break. V. Pavlidis and G. Prestianni scored within six minutes to secure a 2-1 victory for the visitors. This result defied Fipster's low-confidence prediction of a home win, proving the match was not quite the upset we expected.
Outcome probability
Santa Clara face off against Benfica in a regular season clash that promises to be a tight affair. Both teams sit near the top of the table, making this encounter a crucial one for league positioning.
Match factors
Gonçalo Paciência's scoring form leads Santa Clara
Paciência has 5 goals in 7 games, well above league attacker average, driving Santa Clara's attack
Santa Clara's midfield creativity centered on Vinícius Lopes
Lopes provides key assists and creative passing, linking well with top scorers
Santa Clara's strong home scoring streak supports predicted win
Team averages 1.8 goals per home game with positive recent scoring streak
Pedro Ferreira's defensive prowess crucial to contain Benfica attack
Ferreira averages 4 tackles per game, significantly above league average for midfielders
The context
Santa Clara currently hold 3rd place with 18 points from 8 games, unbeaten so far with five wins and three draws. Benfica are just behind in 4th with 16 points from 7 games, having won five, drawn one, and lost once. Historically, Benfica have dominated their meetings, winning 12 of 15 encounters, but recent form and home advantage could tilt the scales.
Key insights
Gonçalo Paciência
Santa Clara
Paciência’s 5 goals in 7 games make him a standout attacker, driving Santa Clara’s offensive threat.
Primeira Liga 26/275 goals in 7 appearances, 0.71 goals/game
Vinícius Lopes
Santa Clara
Lopes provides key creativity and assists, linking well with the attack especially at home.
Primeira Liga 26/271 assist in 7 appearances, 0.14 assists/game
- P
Pedro Ferreira
Santa Clara
Ferreira’s defensive work with 4 tackles per game is crucial to disrupt Benfica’s attacks.
Primeira Liga 26/274 tackles per game, 60.6% duel win rate
Analysis
Despite Benfica's historical dominance, Santa Clara's current league form and home scoring streak give them an edge. Their top scorer Gonçalo Paciência leads with 5 goals in 7 games, well above the league average, while midfielder Vinícius Lopes provides creative spark with assists and key passes. Defensively, Pedro Ferreira's tackling prowess is vital to contain Benfica's attack. Benfica's superior goal difference (+15 to +8) reflects their attacking strength, but Santa Clara's resilience and home performances suggest a close contest.
Key facts
- 1.Santa Clara are unbeaten in 8 league games with 5 wins and 3 draws.
- 2.Benfica have won 12 of 15 historical meetings against Santa Clara.
- 3.Santa Clara sit 3rd with 18 points; Benfica are 4th with 16 points.
- 4.Benfica have a better goal difference (+15) compared to Santa Clara (+8).
- 5.Gonçalo Paciência leads Santa Clara with 5 goals in 7 games.
- 6.Vinícius Lopes contributes with assists and creative play for Santa Clara.
- 7.Pedro Ferreira averages 4 tackles per game, key in breaking attacks.
Prediction
The prediction favours a 2-1 home win for Santa Clara. While the scoreline is tight, Santa Clara's attacking threat and midfield creativity are expected to outmatch Benfica's defence. The match is finely balanced, but the home side's momentum and key player contributions should see them edge this one.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Santa Clara
Away — Benfica
No standout top scorers flagged for Benfica
The verdict
Expect a competitive match with Santa Clara narrowly overcoming Benfica. Key players like Paciência and Lopes will be crucial, and the home side's solid form could just tip the balance in their favour for a 2-1 victory.
Prediction generated 11 Oct 2026, 18:57 UTC · Fipster Model v1.163
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Bah
Yellow Card
Yellow Card
Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira
Penalty
Fernandes
Yellow Card
Pedro Pacheco
Yellow Card
Rafa
Sudakov
Pavlidis
Yellow Card
Pavlidis
Assist: Prestianni
Brenner Lucas Gonçalves Santos
Prestianni
Aursnes
Yellow Card
Borges
Araújo
Pavlidis
Pedro Ferreira
Soares
Dahl
Yellow Card
Durán
Yellow Card
Prestianni
João Vasconcelos
Yellow Card
Guilherme Romão
Yellow Card
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FC Porto | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | +21 | 30 |
| 2 |  Benfica | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | +18 | 22 |
| 3 |  Sporting CP | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | +12 | 21 |
| 4 |  Santa Clara | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | +9 | 21 |
| 5 |  Arouca | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | +6 | 20 |
Match Statistics
Santa Clara
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1Lucas FrançaG
- 4Pedro PachecoD
- 5Guilherme RomãoD
- 6Pedro FerreiraM
- 7Luis Fernando Santos OliveiraF
- 10Brenner Lucas Gonçalves SantosM
- 20Tiago RibeiroM
- 21Emanuel FernandesD
- 41Daniel BorgesM
- 42Lucas SoaresD
- 70Vinícius LopesM
Substitutes
- 3Henrique SilvaD
- 11Welinton TorrãoF
- 12NenecaG
- 17João VasconcelosM
- 18A. DuarteF
- 22VitinhoM
- 25F. MedeirosM
- 73Léo JacóF
- 81Seydou FofanaM
- 99SorrisoF
Benfica
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2C. LengletD
- 6A. BahD
- 8F. AursnesM
- 10H. SudakovM
- 14V. PavlidisF
- 24Samuel SoaresG
- 25G. PrestianniM
- 26S. DahlD
- 27RafaM
- 36João PalhinhaM
- 44Tomás AraújoD
Substitutes
- 1A. TrubinG
- 3A. CircatiD
- 11D. LukebakioF
- 16ManuM
- 21A. SchjelderupF
- 22J. DuránF
- 30C. EcheverriM
- 33Gabriel IndioD
- 34S. El KarouaniD
- 62J. NetoD
- 72A. CabralF
Santa Clara
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Fernando Santos Oliveira | F | 90 | 7.4 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1/2 |
| Lucas Soares | D | 85 | 7.0 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1/1 |
| Brenner Lucas Gonçalves Santos | M | 67 | 6.6 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| Vinícius Lopes | M | 90 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2/5 |
| Léo Jacó | F | 5 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vitinho | M | 5 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Welinton Torrão | F | 23 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0/1 |
| Emanuel Fernandes | D | 90 | 6.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pedro Pacheco | D | 90 | 6.1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/2 |
| João Vasconcelos | M | 15 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lucas França | G | 90 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pedro Ferreira | M | 85 | 5.8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tiago Ribeiro | M | 90 | 5.7 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — |
| Guilherme Romão | D | 90 | 5.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Borges | M | 75 | 5.4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Duarte | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seydou Fofana | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sorriso | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| F. Medeiros | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Neneca | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Henrique Silva | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Benfica
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. Prestianni | M | 92 | 8.2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2/5 |
| V. Pavlidis | F | 82 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Samuel Soares | G | 90 | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Schjelderup | F | 44 | 7.0 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1/1 |
| C. Lenglet | D | 90 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| D. Lukebakio | F | 44 | 6.6 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0/1 |
| S. Dahl | D | 90 | 6.4 | — | — | — | — | — | 1/2 |
| J. Durán | F | 8 | 6.4 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
| A. Circati | D | 8 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| H. Sudakov | M | 46 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0/1 |
| João Palhinha | M | 90 | 6.2 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 0/2 |
| Tomás Araújo | D | 82 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| F. Aursnes | M | 90 | 6.1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Rafa | M | 46 | 6.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0/2 |
| A. Bah | D | 90 | 5.6 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Gabriel Indio | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Cabral | F | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| J. Neto | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| C. Echeverri | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Manu | M | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| S. El Karouani | D | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A. Trubin | G | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Prediction Q&A
- Who did Fipster predict to win Santa Clara vs Benfica?
- Fipster's AI model predicted Santa Clara to win against Benfica.
- What score did Fipster predict for Santa Clara vs Benfica?
- Fipster predicted a final score of Santa Clara 2–1 Benfica.
- What were the win probabilities for Santa Clara vs Benfica?
- Fipster's model gave Santa Clara a 42% chance of winning, Benfica a 29% chance, and a 29% chance of a draw.
- How confident was Fipster in this prediction?
- Fipster's model assigned this prediction 42% confidence — a low-confidence call.