Porto will be looking to make it 10 consecutive victories against Famalicao when the two sides go head to head at the Estadio do Dragao in round 29 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.
While a run of two consecutive defeats has threatened to derail the hosts' quest for European football, the Vila Nova head into the weekend looking to make it three wins on the trot for the first time since April 2023.
Match preview
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Porto were condemned to back-to-back Primeira Liga defeats for the first time since April 2016 as they were beaten 2-1 by Victoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday.
An own goal from Wanderson Galeno and Jota Silva's 33rd-minute strike put Guimaraes in front, and after Galeno pulled one back with a 44th-minute effort, the visitors turned in a defensive show of class in the second half to see out their 17th win of the season.
This came just eight days after a shock 1-0 defeat against Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota when Cassiano struck in the second half to help the Canarinhos complete an impressive league double over Porto.
Sandwiched between the two league defeats, Sergio Conceicao's men placed one foot in the Taca de Portugal final courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the first leg of their semi-final clash on April 3.
Having picked 58 points from 28 matches, Porto are currently third in the Primeira Liga standings, but with just six games left to play, they will be nervously looking over their shoulders as they sit two points above fifth-placed Guimaraes just outside the Europa Conference League qualification places.
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On the other hand, Famalicao left it late to secure consecutive league wins for the first time in almost a year as they scraped a 3-2 victory over Vizela when the sides squared off at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao last Saturday.
After falling two goals behind courtesy of goals from Chiquinho and Riccieli, Jason Lokilo and Sava Petrov found the back of the net to force Vizela back into the game, but Jhonder Cadiz struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to hand the hosts a dramatic win.
This was a second consecutive victory under the tenure of newly-appointed head coach Armando Evangelista, who watched on as Famalicao secured a 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente on March 29 to snap their four-match winless run.
Having struggled for consistency since the turn of the year, this upturn in form has seen the Vila Nova surge to eighth in the league table, six points behind seventh-placed Arouca, albeit with one game in hand.
While Famalicao will be looking to pick up where they left off against Vizela, they will have to be at their best this weekend as they go up against a Porto side who have won each of their last nine meetings, stretching back to a 2-1 loss in June 2020.
Team News
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Porto will take to the pitch without the services of veteran defender Pepe, who picked up his second straight red card of the league campaign against Vitoria de Guimaraes last time out.
In his absence, Brazilian centre-back Otavio should come into the fold, forming the back four with Jorge Sanchez, 29-year-old Fabio Cardoso and fellow countryman Wendell.
On the injury front, Conceicao will be unable to name the defensive duo of Ivan Marcano and Nigeria international Zaidu Sanusi, who both continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines through ACL injuries.
With his late winner against Vizela last time out, Cadiz now has 11 league goals under his belt, and we expect the Venezuelan strike to spearhead Famalicao's attack once again.
He should be joined in the final third by Jose Luis Rodriguez, teenage forward Gustavo Sa and Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Chiquinho, who has three goal involvements in his last two games.
Portuguese striker Henrique Araujo has missed each of the Vila Nova's last four matches after coming off injured against Boavista on March 4 and the 22-year-old is a doubt for Saturday's game.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Sanchez, Otavio, Cardoso, Wendell; Gonzalez, Varela; Pepe, Galeno, Namaso; Evanilson
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Nathan, Riccieli, Mihaj, Sa; Youssouf, Topic; Moura, Rodriguez, Chiquinho; Cadiz
We say: Porto 3-1 Famalicao
Reeling from their disappointing display against Guimaraes, Porto will head into the weekend looking to stop the rot and return to winning ways. Given the gulf in quality between the two sides and recent results in this fixture, we are tipping Porto to come away with all three points in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
