Tondela v Marítimo

Whilst João Pedro Sousa and Ivo Vieira would end up losing their jobs in the weeks that followed the November international break, Spanish manager Julio Velázquez was sacked on November 11 after his Marítimo side lost 4-2 to Tondela. Fellow Spaniard Pako Ayestarán and his Tondela side came out victorious at home thanks to a hat-trick of penalties from João Pedro, with two goals being scored in extra time by both sides. Velázquez was sacked after 25 matches at the Madeira club, who sat second-bottom after 11 rounds and who turned to Portuguese manager Vasco Seabra. Under Seabra, Marítimo have climbed to eighth in the league table and are chasing European football with a fresh new attack-minded style that has seen the likes of Rafik Guitane and André Vidigal impress on both flanks.

Tondela, meanwhile, occupy the relegation play-off spot and sit two points above Moreirense and one point below Arouca, although they look set to play either Porto or Sporting in the Taça de Portugal Final after defeating second-tier Mafra 3-0 in the first leg of the semifinals. Ayestarán was sacked on March 16 following a run of five losses and a draw in the league, with Portuguese manager Nuno Campos replacing him.

After serving as Paulo Fonseca’s assistant coach in various countries, the 46-year-old Campos took charge of Santa Clara in October but lasted just nine games before being relieved of his duties. It remains to be seen whether or not Campos has what it takes to lead a team out of a relegation battle, and it’s either sink or swim for him at the Estádio João Cardoso. I’m backing Marítimo to get back to winning ways after losing to Vitória and drawing to Gil Vicente in their past two matches.

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Moreirense v Vitória de Guimarães

Apart from Ivo Vieira, João Pedro Sousa and Nuno Campos, another manager who received a sacking as an early Christmas present was João Henriques, who, after spending six months at Vitória de Guimarães last season, took over for Vasco Seabra in the summer but lasted just 15 matches before being given the axe – his replacement Lito Vidigal managed just five matches before being relieved of his duties on January 5. Ricardo Sá Pinto took over and has managed a dismal two wins, two draws, and seven losses for Moreirense, who currently sit 17th in the league, two points below the relegation play-off and two points above B-SAD.

Moreirense’s last victory came on February 7 against B-SAD but have taken just one point since then – a 1-1 draw to promoted side Arouca. Vitória, on the other hand, began March with victories against Famalicão and Marítimo before losing 3-1 to Sporting at home. After taking the lead early on via Óscar Estupiñán, Vitória conceded an equalizer at the penalty spot from Pablo Sarabia on the cusp of halftime, with Rúben Amorim’s side coming out victorious via goals from Paulinho and Marcus Edwards, who arrived from Vitória in the January transfer window.

The two sides met twice in November, with Vitória winning in the league but losing in the Taça de Portugal. Vitória have failed to impress against bottom-ranking sides this season, losing to B-SAD, Arouca and Vizela since the start of the year, and if Pepa’s side aren’t careful, they could slip up against a Moreirense side that is in desperate need of a result.

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Sporting v Paços de Ferreira

The two biggest surprise stories of last season’s Primeira campaign were Sporting and Paços de Ferreira; whilst Sporting ended a 19-year title drought under Rúben Amorim, Paços de Ferreira finished fifth in the league to qualify for the Europa Conference League playoffs where they would end up losing to Tottenham Hotspur. Whilst Sporting are six points behind league leaders Porto in the league table and have lost the first leg of their Taça de Portugal semifinals to Porto 2-1, they nevertheless enjoyed a successful March that saw them win three out of three in the league – each of them coming with a two-goal margin.

Paços, on the other hand, suffered a slow start due to the departures of manager Pepa and top scorer Douglas Tanque, but they have nevertheless enjoyed a recent resurgence in form under new manager César Peixoto. Apart from a 4-2 loss to Porto on March 6, the Beavers have won each of their last four matches — four of the bottom five in the league table. Against the bigger sides, however, Paços have lost to Benfica and Braga this year, as well as losing to Porto in the league and Benfica in the cup. Their most recent match against Sporting came on November 7, when second-half goals from Gonçalo Inácio and Pedro Gonçalves led Sporting to a 2-0 win. I’m confident enough that Sporting will kick off the month with a crucial victory at home against the Beavers.

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Porto v Santa Clara

Just seven matches separate Porto from their 30th Primeira Liga title and their first since 2019/20, with Sérgio Conceição’s side currently leading defending champions Sporting by six points. Whilst they were eliminated from the Europa League by Lyon, with Porto playing a heavily rotated side in the second leg after losing 0-1 in Portugal, they extended their winning streak in the league to three in the Derbi da Invicta, beating crosstown rivals Boavista 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Fábio Vieira.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, have taken three 0-0 draws in their past four games against Braga, Famalicão and Belenenses-SAD, as well as defeating Vizela 3-1 on March 6. Whilst Santa Clara won’t be repeating their feat of last season when they reached European football for the first time under Daniel Ramos, before losing in the Europa Conference League playoffs. That breakout season for the Azoreans was followed by a mass exodus with Ramos and all-time top scorer Carlos Júnior heading for the Middle East, and Fábio Cardoso joining former Santa Clara teammate at Porto. Sana Clara struggled to cope with these departures early on but have experienced a strong 2022 and will finish in a comfortable mid table position, currently sitting 10th in the table – 5 points behind Vitória in sixth and 11 points above the relegation zone. 

Cardoso has racked up an impressive 19 appearances in his debut campaign at the Estádio do Dragão, but he has been relegated to the bench following Pepe’s return from injury. The 39-year-old Brazil-born center back returned from his COVID-19 contraction after missing the match against Turkey and slotted into defense alongside Nuno Mendes, Danilo Pereira and João Cancelo and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win against North Macedonia to seal Portugal’s qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November. With Pepe hitting top form during the home stretch of the season in customary fashion, and Chancel Mbemba forming a stellar duo alongside Pepe and impressing ahead of a summer that will see become a free agent following the expiry of his contract at Porto, Sérgio Conceição’s side should have what it takes to stave off the attacking threat of Lincoln and Crysan and co. and overwhelm the Azoreans’ defense with their fearsome attacking threats of Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson, and co. 

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