Porto will seek redemption following last weekend’s nightmare showing when they travel to Casa Pia in round 29 of the Primeira Liga this Saturday.
The Dragons were left red-faced after a humiliating home loss to fierce rivals Benfica, a result that saw them drop to fourth place, while the hosts find themselves eighth after managing to avoid defeat in back-to-back matches.
Match preview
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Having picked up three wins from their last four league games and boasting an unbeaten home record in the Primeira Liga, Porto were expected to give a good account of themselves, especially with a chance to narrow the gap to second, even if they were up against the league’s most in-form side.
Instead, the Dragons capitulated in front of their fans, as Benfica stormed to a ruthless 4-1 victory, opening the scoring inside the first minute through Vangelis Pavlidis, who completed his hat-trick before Samu Aghehowa managed to pull one back, only for Nicolas Otamendi to hammer the final nail in emphatic fashion.
That harrowing result leaves Martin Anselmi‘s side 12 points adrift of top spot, now sitting fourth and trailing Braga by one point, with the latter having returned the favour by holding new leaders Benfica’s title rivals Sporting Lisbon to a draw the next day.
Last season’s haul of 72 points saw Porto settle for third place, equalling their lowest finish and recording their poorest tally since the 34-game format returned in the 2014-15 season, and with the way this campaign is shaping up, they could be headed for an even deeper slump.
With 56 points to their name and only six games remaining, the Blue and Whites can ill afford any more slip-ups, particularly with their aspirations for a top-three finish hanging by a thread, making victory this weekend all the more crucial.
Anselmi’s men can take encouragement from their recent dominance in this fixture, having come out on top in each of the last four meetings, including a 2-0 win in the reverse match earlier this season.
Porto’s away form stands at seven wins, two draws and five defeats, which places them as the division’s fourth-best side on the road.
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Casa Pia, however, have been in excellent form at home, with four wins from their last five outings in front of their supporters, and will be quietly confident of securing their first-ever victory over the visitors.
Their most recent home fixture brought a 2-1 win over Rio Ave in Alexandre Santana‘s first match in charge, halting a three-game losing run and offering renewed hope for a strong finish.
The Geese followed that up with a goalless stalemate away at SC Farense, making it the first time since late January that they have avoided defeat in two successive matches.
They now sit eighth with 40 points from 11 wins, seven draws and 10 losses, trailing seventh-placed Famalicao only on goal difference and just six points behind fifth-placed Santa Clara.
With six matches left, Casa Pia are one point shy of matching their best-ever top-flight tally of 41, achieved last season when they finished ninth – also their highest rank in the competition.
Team News
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Casa Pia will be without Clau Mendes and Kiki Silva due to injury, while Duplexe Tchamba picked up a shoulder problem last time out and remains a doubt, with Joao Goulart likely to step in.
Ruben Kluivert is available again after serving a one-match suspension and could return to the heart of defence, while Rafael Brito‘s suspension means André Sousa and Andrian Kraev are expected to continue in midfield.
Porto, for their part, will be without Vasco Sousa and Marko Grujic, both of whom are ruled out with injuries.
Following the defensive collapse last weekend, Anselmi might be tempted to shuffle his backline, with Nehuen Perez possibly making way for Ze Pedro or Otavio.
Aghehowa is poised to lead the line again after netting Porto’s lone goal against Benfica, taking his league tally to 16 for the season.
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Goulart, Fonte, Tchamba; Lelo, Kraev, Sousa, Larrazabal; Roberto, Cassiano, Livolant
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Marcano, Eustaquio, Pedro; Moura, Varela, Vieira, Mario; Mora, Aghehowa, Borges
We say: Casa Pia 1-2 Porto
Casa Pia have proven to be a tough nut to crack on home soil, even handing Benfica a 3-1 defeat earlier this season, so they are unlikely to roll over easily against Porto.
That said, while the visitors have been far from convincing in recent weeks, their strong head-to-head record in this fixture could see them edge a narrow victory, though the hosts are fancied to find the net once more having scored in 14 consecutive home matches.
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