Santa Clara v Arouca: survival scrap as low-scoring hosts meet a defence conceding freely | OneFootball

Santa Clara host Arouca in Liga Portugal on 21 December 2025 at Estádio de São Miguel, with both sides looking to pull clear of the bottom as 14th meets 15th.

Last season's league meetings were split, each side winning at home, with Santa Clara victorious in April and Arouca edging the December game.

Recent momentum is mixed. Santa Clara have two wins and a draw in their last five across competitions but come off back to back defeats. Arouca ended a four-match losing run by beating Alverca 1-0 last time out.

The match-up may hinge on Santa Clara's organisation against Arouca's porous back line. The hosts have scored 11 league goals but kept four clean sheets and have converted five penalties with 100% success this season. Arouca have conceded 37 league goals with one clean sheet and have given away seven penalties. In attack, Nais Djouahra leads Arouca with five league goals, while Alfonso Trezza Hernandez has four. Santa Clara's leading threat is Vinicius with four.

A home win would take Santa Clara to 18 points and could ease relegation pressure. Victory for Arouca would move them to 15 points and could lift them towards safety.