Arouca v Nacional: resurgent hosts meet inconsistent visitors in survival fight | OneFootball

Arouca host Nacional in Liga Portugal on 21 February 2026 at Estádio Municipal de Arouca, with lower-half points at stake as the hosts look to build on recent wins and the visitors aim to pull clear of the relegation fight.

Arouca have won the past three league meetings, including a 1-0 home victory in 2024 and two 2-1 away wins since, so the hosts carry a head-to-head edge into the game.

Form points in different directions. Arouca have three wins from their last five league matches and have scored in all five. Nacional have one win in five, with defeats either side of a goalless home draw against Casa Pia.

The hosts' attack has produced 28 league goals but a porous defence has conceded 49 at 2.2 per game. Nacional have been tighter, letting in 31, and carry a leading threat in Jesús Andrés Ramírez, among the division's top scorers with 13 goals. The visitors also win plenty of aerial duels, 393 so far, and cross from open play at 20.16% accuracy compared to Arouca's 17.71%, so deliveries into the box could be a route to goal. For Arouca, Alfonso Trezza Hernandez has seven league goals, with Nais Djouahra adding five.

In the table, Arouca are 12th on 23 points and Nacional 14th with 21. A home win would lift Arouca to 26 points and push them further from the bottom three. Victory for Nacional would take them to 24 and could see them leapfrog the hosts in a tight survival picture.