Fresh off the back of a disappointing Champions League defeat against Club Brugge, Porto take a trip to the Antonio Coimbra da Mota to take on Estoril Praia on Saturday.
The Canarinhos will head into the weekend seeking to get one over the visiting side, having lost each of the last nine meetings between the teams since November 2014.
Match preview
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Estoril Praia picked up their first set of consecutive away wins in the new campaign as they saw off 10-man Vizela 1-0 when the sides squared off last Monday.
Making his second appearance since his loan move from Brazilian outfit Botafogo, 23-year-old forward Erison put the Vizelenses to the sword as he struck in the 28th minute to hand the visitors all three points.
Estoril Praia now return home where they are unbeaten in five of their last six games — claiming two wins and three draws since April — with their only defeat in that time coming on September 2 when they were beaten 2-0 by Sporting Lisbon.
Nelson Verissimo's men have picked up three wins, one draw and lost two of their six games this season to collect 10 points and sit eighth in the Primeira Liga standings, level on points with seventh-placed Sporting Lisbon.
While Estoril Praia could potentially climb as high as fourth place with all three points this weekend, next up is an opposing side who have won the most recent nine meetings between the teams and are unbeaten in 18 of their last 19 encounters since 2010.
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Porto, on the other hand, failed to get their Champions League campaign up and running last time out when they fell to a humbling 4-0 defeat at the hands of Club Brugge at the Estadio do Dragao.
The Dragoes were simply outclassed and outwitted in front of their home fans as Ferran Jutgla, Kamal Sowah, Andreas Skov Olsen and Antonio Nusa found the target to hand the Belgian outfit all three points and condemn the hosts to a second defeat in Group B.
Porto now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga where they have kicked off their title defence on a solid note, winning all but one of their opening six games — with a 3-1 loss against Rio Ave on August 28 being the exception.
With 15 points from the first 18 available, Sergio Conceicao's men are currently third in the Primeira Liga standings, three points adrift of first-placed Benfica, who have won each of their six games this season.
Porto follow Saturday's game with a highly-anticipated clash against Braga, who are one of just two sides yet to taste defeat this season, while Estoril Praia visit the Municipal Stadium Engineer Manuel Teixeira Branco to take on newly-promoted Chaves.
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Team News
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Estoril Praia will head into the weekend without 27-year-old defender Lucas Africo, who has been out of action since last November through a knee problem.
Brazilian forward Joao Carlos is also out of contention for the Canarinhos after the former Fluminense man missed the trip to Vizela after coming off injured midway through the first half against Sporting Lisbon on September 2.
Off the back of an eye-catching display against the Vizelenses, Erison should be rewarded with a second consecutive starting appearance, teaming up with Tiago Gouveia, Joao Carvalho and Rodrigo Martins in the final third.
Barring any late fitness issues, Porto head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Conceicao the luxury of a full strength squad at his disposal.
Following their shambolic Champions League display against Club Brugge, the 47-year-old head coach could make several changes to his XI, with Toni Martinez coming into the starting side to partner Mehdi Taremi in attack.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Brazilian full-back Wendell could push for his third start of the season, potentially coming in for Zaidu Sanusi on the left side of the back four, while we should see a midfield pairing of Mateus Uribe and Stephen Eustaquio once again.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Figueira; Santos, Vital, Alvaro, Joaozinho; Ndiaye, Rosier; Gouveia, Geraldes, Martins; Erison
Porto possible starting lineup:
D Costa; Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Wendell; Otavio, Uribe, B Costa; Pepe; Martinez, Taremi
We say: Estoril Praia 0-3 Porto
While Estoril Praia will be looking to make it two wins from two in the league for the first time since September 2021, they have struggled to grind out results against Porto, who are unbeaten in their last 10 encounters. We predict that the league champions will extend their dominance over the hosts by claiming a resounding victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
