Off the back of contrasting starts to the new league campaign, Porto and SC Farense go head to head at the Estadio do Dragao in round two of the Primeira Liga on Sunday.
The Leoes de Faro are currently on a run of six back-to-back away wins across all competitions and will head into the weekend looking to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Match preview
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Porto turned in a resilient team display last Monday when they fought back from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Moreirense at the Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas.
Following a goalless first half, former Benfica man Godfried Frimpong broke the deadlock in the 51st minute to put Moreirense in front, but Toni Martinez and Wendell scored in a seven-minute spell to turn the game on its head.
This followed a 2-0 loss at the hands of rivals Benfica in the Portuguese Super Cup on August 9, when Angel Di Maria and Petar Musa secured second-half goals to hand As Aguias their first piece of silverware this season.
With Monday's result, Sergio Conceicao's men have now won 10 league matches on the bounce and are unbeaten in each of their last 13, claiming 12 wins and one draw since February's 2-1 loss against Gil Vicente.
This blistering run saw Porto finish with 85 points in Primeira Liga last season to finish as league runners-up, narrowly losing out to eventual winners Benfica by just two points.
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Elsewhere, newly-promoted Farense received a baptism of fire on their return to the Portuguese top flight as they suffered a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Casa Pia last Saturday.
Farense finished the 2022-23 campaign as runners-up in the Segunda Liga after picking up 21 wins and six draws in their 34 matches to finish six points above third-placed Estrela Amadora in the promotion playoff spot.
Making their first Primeira Liga appearance since their relegation in 2021, Clayton, Pablo and Savior Godwin all found the back of the net to hand Os Gansos an opening-day win at the Estadio de Sao Luis.
Prior to that, Jose Mota's side were involved in two friendly matches, losing 4-2 against Italian side Roma on August 2, three days before claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Portimonense.
Farense kicked off the new season back in July when they picked up successive victories over Moreirense and Oliveirense to book their spot in the group stages of the 2023-24 Taca da Liga campaign.
Next up for the Leoes de Faro is the challenge of an opposing side who won both home and away meetings between the teams when they squared off back in the 2020-21 campaign.
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Team News
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Porto will have to cope without full-back Wendell, who is currently serving a one-match ban after picking up a late red against Moreirense on Monday.
In his absence, Nigerian defender Zaidu Sanusi should be handed his first start of the season, forming the back four with Joao Mario, Fabio Cardoso and club captain Ivan Marcano.
On the injury front, Conceicao will be unable to call upon the attacking duo of Evanilson and Gabriel Veron, who continue their spells on the sidelines through muscle problems.
Farense, on the other hand, head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns and we expect Mota to name his strongest possible XI.
Fran Delgado, Zach Muscat, Goncalo Silva and Joao Talocha should all retain their roles in the back four, while we expect a midfield trio of Mattheus, Fabricio Isidoro and 29-year-old Claudio Falcao.
Up top, Rui Costa should lead the visitors' attack against his former employers, joining club captain Marco Matias and 23-year-old Elves Balde in the final third.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Cardoso, Marcano, Sanusi; Eustaquio, Grujic; Pepe, Namaso, Galeno; Taremi
SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Felipe; Delgado, Muscat, Silva, Talocha; Mattheus, Isidoro, Falcao; Balde, Duarte, Matias
We say: Porto 3-0 SC Farense
While Farense will be looking to get their campaign up and running this weekend, they have their work cut out against a formidable side in Porto. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two teams, we fancy the Dragoes to cruise to a comfortable victory in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
