Reigning Taca de Portugal champions Porto get their quest for a fourth consecutive title underway when they visit the Estadio Jose Gomes to square off against fourth-tier Sintrense on Sunday.
Both sides faced off in the cup competition back in October 2021, when the Primeira Liga side stormed to a 5-0 victory thanks to two goals from Sergio Oliveira and Evanilson, and a late strike from Toni Martinez.
Match preview
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Sintrense maintained their strong early-season form in their last outing before the international break as they picked up a hard-fought 3-2 victory over FC Barreirense at the Estadio do Sport Uniao Sintrense on October 6.
Fransisco Gomes and Diogo Santos hit the target to cancel out Guilherme Desembargador's 17th-minute opener and turn the game on its head, but after Diogo Nascimento pulled Barreirense level, Silverio Indunga struck in the 83rd minute to hand the hosts all three points.
Sintrense have now gone six straight games without defeat to start the new Campeonato de Portugal campaign, picking up four wins and two draws to sit second in the Group D table, level on points with first-placed Lusitano Evora.
Head coach Filipe Moreira will hope that his side can pick up where they left off before the break as they return to action in the Taca de Portugal, where they will be looking to cause an upset this weekend, having scraped through the second round.
Sintrense kicked off their 2024-24 Taca de Portugal campaign on September 22, when they held on to see out a 2-1 victory over Estrela FC courtesy of goals in either half from Bismark Sanca and Santos.
Porto on the other hand, ensured that they remain within touching distance of rivals Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Primeira Liga table as they picked up a 2-1 victory over Braga in their final outing before the break.
In a thrilling contest at the Estadio do Dragao, Roger Fernandes netted in the 54th minute to cancel out Wenderson Galeno's first-half opener and draw Braga level, but Pepe struck back four minutes later to hand the host all three points.
This followed a somewhat disappointing 3-3 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League on October 3, when Harry Maguire netted in the first minute of stoppage time to hand the Red Devils a point in Portugal.
With the result against Braga last time out, Porto have now won all but one of their seven Primeira Liga matches to start the season — scoring 18 goals and conceding four — with a 2-0 loss against Sporting Lisbon on August 31 being the exception.
Vitor Bruno's men, who are currently second in the league standings, three points off top spot, now turn their focus to the Taca de Portugal, where they will be looking to kick off their quest for a fourth consecutive title triumph on a high.
Last season, Porto brushed aside Estoril Praia, Santa Clara and Vitoria de Guimaraes en route to the final, where they fought back from behind to secure a 2-1 extra-time victory over Sporting Lisbon courtesy of gold from Evanilson and Mehdi Taremi.
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Team News
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Sintrense enjoyed an injury-free game against Barreirense last time out, and barring any late fitness issues, they will head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns.
That said, we expect Moreira to name a similar starting side this weekend, with Rafa Gonzalez, Leandro Bral, Rodrigo Luis and Gomes forming the back four once again.
Chiquinho and 23-year-old Edney Ribeiro should retain their roles in attack while we expect Pipas, Tomas Martins, Didi and veretan midfielder Santos to team up in the centre of the park.
As for Porto, Bruno will be unable to call upon the services of Spanish forward Fran Navarro, who has missed each of the last five games since picking up a muscle injury back in September.
He is joined on the Dragoes' injury table by the defensive duo of 37-year-old Ivan Marcano and Nigerian full-back Zaidu Sanusi, who are currently recuperating from ACL injuries.
Samuel Omorodion continued his red-hot form in front of goal as he hit four goals to fire Spain Under-21s to a 6-0 victory over Malta Under-21s and the former Atletico Madrid man, who had seven goals in eight goals since his arrival in the summer, should lead the attack this weekend.
Sintrense possible starting lineup:
R Dias; Gonzalez, Gomes, Bral, Luis; Santos, Pipas, Martins; Edney, Chiquinho
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario; Ze Pedro, Perez, Moura; Eustaquio, Varela; Pepe, Gonzalez, Galeno; Omorodion
We say: Sintrense 0-5 Porto
While Sintrense have been handed a tough challenge in the third round, they will be keen to show their mettle against one of the best sides in the country. However, given the gulf in quality and depth between the two sides, we are backing Porto to run riot at the Estadio Jose Gomes this weekend.
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