Porto and Vitoria de Guimaraes lock horns for the second time in four days when they come together on Sunday evening in the Primeira Liga.
The hosts ran out as 1-0 winners in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final on Wednesday, leaving the visitors behind when they matchup for the third time in two weeks on April 17.
Match preview
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Porto come into this game having bounced back from defeat in their previous Primeira Liga game, when they lost 1-0 to lowly Estoril, by beating Guimaraes 1-0 in the Taca de Portugal thanks to a second-half goal from Pepe.
That defeat to Estoril allowed second-placed Benfica to move nine points clear of Porto, leaving Sergio Conceicao's men with a slim chance of qualifying for the Champions League through the Primeira Liga.
With their aim of achieving Champions League qualification looking unlikely, their focus will now have to shift to defending their current third place in the league as Braga are just two points behind them with seven league matches left to play.
While Braga are only two points behind, Guimaraes are also just five points worse off than the hosts, meaning this game is crucial for both sides as they look to finish in the European places come the end of the season.
Despite losing twice in their last four outings, Porto are still strong favourites for this one having not lost to the visitors since August 2018, leaving them unbeaten in the last 12 meetings, winning 11 of those.
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As for Guimaraes, they come into this one on the back of a four-game winning streak in the league, which has helped keep them in the running for a possible fourth or third-place finish.
They have only lost three times away from home so far this season, collecting the fifth-highest points tally of any side across the league when playing on the road.
Despite that away form, they have historically struggled at the Estadio Do Dragao, winning only one of the previous 18 visits across all competitions, while they have also failed to score in three of the last four.
Guimaraes will be hoping to end that poor run in the upcoming game as they have a chance to move level with Braga, who have a tough encounter against seventh-placed Arouca, as they hunt for European football for the first time since 2019-20.
Team News
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Porto will be coming into this one missing a host of players through injury and suspensions.
Ivan Marcano and Zaidu Sanusi are expected to miss the remainder of the season having both suffered cruciate ligament injuries earlier in the campaign.
They will also be without Otavio and Evanilson due to suspension, but they will be boosted by the return of Diogo Costa and Francisco Conceicao.
As for Guimaraes, they come into this match with a fully fit squad, leaving Alvaro Pacheco with plenty to think about regarding his team selection.
Top scorer Jota Silva is likely to lead the line for his side in this one, and the striker enters into this game in great form having scored four times in his last five games for the club.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Cardoso, Pepe, Wendell; Gonzalez, Varela; Conceicao, Aquino, Galeno; Taremi
Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:
Varela; Ribeiro, Borevkovic, Fernandes; Gaspar, T Silva, Handel, Mendes, Mangas; Oliveira, J Silva
We say: Porto 2-0 Vitoria de Guimaraes
The hosts have enjoyed this fixture in recent history, winning all but two of the 20 meetings between the two sides since November 2008, losing one and drawing one.
The visitors have failed to score in three of their last four visits to this stadium, and we see that happening once again in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
