The second leg of the Primeira Liga promotion relegation playoff arrives at the Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior on 28 May 2026 after a 0-0 draw in the first leg, with Casa Pia needing to avoid defeat to stay up and Torreense needing a win to go up. Casa Pia enter the decider as the 16th placed side after a dismal 2025-26 campaign, whereas Torreense arrive having finished third in Liga Portugal 2 and reached the Taça de Portugal final.
Álvaro Pacheco took charge of Casa Pia in January 2026 and Luís Tralhão assumed control of Torreense on the same date, yet the two coaches have never previously met in a competitive fixture. Both men are on short term contracts expiring at the end of June, so the outcome of this tie will shape their immediate futures as much as the clubs they represent.
Casa Pia have taken just four points from their last five league games, all but one of them draws and they arrive without Kiki Silva and Kaique Rocha, both sidelined, while forward Cassiano is carrying a suspension risk after earlier bookings. Torreense, meanwhile, closed out Liga 2 in strong form, including a win over Sporting CP in the Taça de Portugal and they report no major absences.
Pacheco is expected to set Casa Pia up in a pragmatic 4-2-3-1 built around compactness and quick transitions, with Guilherme Liberato the main creative force in midfield. Tralhão favours a more expansive, high pressing approach and if Torreense commit their full backs forward, Cassiano has the pace to punish them on the break.
Historical meetings between the sides have been limited and low scoring and the first leg confirmed that neither side was willing to take risks on the road, so expect the same caution here. Torreense showed consistent set piece routines throughout Liga 2, though the neutral venue removes any home advantage.
We're going with 1-1: Casa Pia will sit deep and frustrate early while Torreense gradually crank up the pressure in search of the goal that would secure promotion on aggregate. Both sides have shown enough in this tie to suggest a tight, low scoring game but one goal should be enough to settle it, keeping Casa Pia up on away goals and sending Torreense back to Liga Portugal 2 for another season.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
