Varzim SC
- Varzim SC are three points ahead of Santarém in the promotion group of Liga 3, as of mid-March 2026.
- Varzim’s promotion charge has been unconvincing, alternating wins and defeats in the Apuramento do Campeão phase.
- Varzim SC have been a little up-and-down in their pursuit of promotion, suffering a 3-2 home defeat to a CF Os Belenenses side that have played some great soccer in the latter half of the season but also grinding out a deserved 2-0 away win over the division’s surprise team, Trofense.
- Nuno Capucho, a former Primeira Liga player who knows the Portuguese top-flight like the back of his hand, has set Varzim up to be compact and organised at the back with three central defenders and a 3-4-3 formation.
- The wing overloads and the fact that Varzim do not play with many players in the centre of the field, means the club relies heavily on their speed and ability to transition from defence to attack.
- Varzim’s attacking play is predicated on the performances of regular starters up front and in advanced midfield.
União de Santarém
- Santarém recently lost 2-1 to Amarante after a key win to secure promotion group qualification.
- União de Santarém’s structure and style is much more conventional than Varzim’s and that is a compliment to their coach Carlos Fernandes who has got the club into the promotion group and playing with an eye on the prize.
- Fernandes sets up his players to be solid at the back, with a back four and a compact midfield to protect the defence.
- The team create lots of problems for opponents at set pieces and have two set-piece experts in Bruno Ventura and Eduardo Souza, who have both made notable goal contributions.
Head-to-Head
It is three seasons since these two clubs last met in any competition and there is no recent history to draw upon for our analysis of Saturday’s Liga 3 clash.
Key Players
- The team create lots of problems for opponents at set pieces and have two set-piece experts in Bruno Ventura and Eduardo Souza, who have both made notable goal contributions.
- Varzim’s attacking play is predicated on the performances of regular starters up front and in advanced midfield.
Betting Insights
- Varzim are the slight favorites in the betting with odds of 1.88, compared to Santarém at 4.01 and the draw at 3.12.
- Under 2.5 goals is our most favored market at 1.57, as we are going to see a tight game on Saturday with not much chance of either side going all out for the win.
Prediction
We are predicting a 1-1 draw as the main selection, with a smaller wager going on a Varzim 2-1 win in the correct score market, as the home side are the favourites and have scored more recently than the visitors.
