Santa Clara are back in the Primeira Liga, and they will begin their top-flight campaign with a trip to Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota to face Estoril Praia on Sunday afternoon. The hosts ended last season in 13th place with 33 points, while the visitors earned promotion at the first time of asking, winning Liga Portugal 2 with 73 points, two clear of Nacional.

These two sides have experienced contrasting journeys over the last few years. In the 2020-21 season, when Estoril earned promotion to the Primeira Liga, Santa Clara had secured sixth place in the top flight and a spot in Europe. Canarinhos have gone on to survive three consecutive seasons since then, finishing ninth, 14th, and 13th, respectively, albeit that last season they posted their lowest points tally of 33 over the period. The club will be aiming to push closer to the top half this season and will look to do so under the leadership of former Tottenham Hotspur assistant manager Ian Cathro, who replaced Vasco Seabra over the summer break. The Scottish manager oversaw four pre-season friendlies but has yet to taste victory, with his side drawing against Mafra, Uniao de Leiria, and Vizela while losing 2-1 to Estrela at the end of last month. Over the course of last season, Estoril had a record of six wins, seven draws, and four losses, and their 28-goal tally was the sixth-best in the division.

Meanwhile, for Santa Clara, the past few seasons have been a roller-coaster as they fell from seventh place in 2021-22 to relegation the following season before earning promotion back to the top flight last term. Vasco Matos led the side's promotion campaign, and under his guidance, the team recorded 21 wins, 10 draws, and just three losses in 34 games, ending the season unbeaten in their final six, which included four wins and two draws. Notably, Os Acoreanos went the entire 2023-24 campaign without a single away loss in the league or cup competition, and they only conceded 19 goals, which was the fewest in the competition by a sizable distance. However, it remains to be seen if the visitors can continue in that vein now back in the big time, but a positive result here will certainly give them a huge confidence boost, which is vital early in the season.

Estoril saw the departure of Joao Marques to Braga over the summer, though they did acquire the services of Yanis Begraoui from Toulouse, and the Moroccan is likely to receive his debut in this match. Pedro Alvaro missed a few games toward the end of last season due to injury, but he was present for the majority of pre-season and should start in defense alongside Eliaquim Mangala. Santa Clara, on the other hand, brought in Matheus Pereira from Vizela and Rodrigo Varanda from America MG on loan over the summer, and both players will be in the mix to make the starting 11. Bruno Almeida had an excellent first season for Os Acoreanos, ending the term as the top-scorer with 15 goals, though he is flagged as a minor doubt for this match.

Estoril Praia 1-0 Santa Clara. It will be interesting to see how Santa Clara start the season after an impressive Liga Portugal 2 campaign. However, Estoril was a difficult team to beat on their home patch last season, and we feel they will get the new off to a winning start.

圣克拉拉回到了西甲，他们将在周日下午前往科英布拉球场迎战普拉亚埃斯托里尔，开始他们的顶级联赛征程。上赛季，东道主以33分排名第13位，而客队则在第一时间晋级，以73分的成绩赢得了葡萄牙第二联赛，领先国家队2分。

在过去几年里，双方经历了截然不同的旅程。在2020-21赛季，当埃斯托里尔队晋级西甲时，圣克拉拉队在顶级联赛中获得了第六名，并在欧洲获得了一席之地。从那以后，卡纳里尼奥斯连续三个赛季都保住了积分榜的第9名、第14名和第13名，尽管上个赛季他们的最低积分只有33分。俱乐部的目标是在本赛季更接近上半区，并将在前托特纳姆热刺助理教练伊恩·卡特罗的带领下实现这一目标，他在暑假取代了瓦斯科·西布拉。这位苏格兰主帅监督了四场季前友谊赛，但还没有尝到胜利的滋味，他的球队在上月底1 - 2输给埃斯特雷拉的同时，战平了马夫拉、德莱里亚和维泽拉。在上个赛季，埃斯托里尔取得了6胜7平4负的战绩，他们的28个进球在联赛中排名第六。

与此同时，对于圣克拉拉来说，过去几个赛季就像过山车一样，他们从2021-22赛季的第七名跌至下一个赛季的降级，直到上个赛季才重新晋级顶级联赛。瓦斯科·马托斯带领球队晋级，在他的带领下，球队在34场比赛中取得了21胜10平3负的成绩，在4胜2平的6强赛中保持不败。值得注意的是，在整个2023-24赛季，阿科雷亚诺斯在联赛或杯赛中没有一场客场失利，他们只丢了19个球，这是联赛中最少的。然而，客队能否继续保持这种状态还有待观察，但一个积极的结果肯定会给他们带来巨大的信心，这在赛季初是至关重要的。

埃斯托里尔在夏天看到若昂·马奎斯离开了布拉加，尽管他们从图卢兹得到了亚尼斯·贝格劳伊，摩洛哥人很可能在这场比赛中迎来他的处子秀。佩德罗·阿尔瓦罗上赛季末因伤缺席了几场比赛，但他在季前赛的大部分时间里都有出场，应该和埃利亚金·曼加拉一起首发防守。另一方面，圣克拉拉在夏天从维泽拉租借了马修斯·佩雷拉和从美国MG租借了罗德里戈·瓦兰达，这两名球员都将进入首发11人名单。布鲁诺·阿尔梅达在阿科雷亚诺斯的第一个赛季表现出色，以15球的成绩成为赛季最佳射手，尽管他在本场比赛中的表现尚不确定。

埃斯托里尔-普拉亚1-0圣克拉拉。看看圣克拉拉在葡萄牙乙级联赛取得令人印象深刻的表现后如何开始新赛季将是一件有趣的事情。然而，上个赛季埃斯托里尔是一支很难在他们的主场击败的球队，我们认为他们将在新的赛季中取得胜利。