Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Primeira Liga clash between Famalicao and Porto, including predictions, team news, and possible lineups.
Porto will be looking to keep the pressure on the Primeira Liga leaders when they head to Estadio Municipal 22 de Junho to face Famalicao on Saturday evening.
The hosts are currently in seventh place in the league standings after 11 matches, while the visitors are third and just three points behind the Lisbon-based clubs at the top.
Match preview
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Famalicao has made a solid start to the Primeira Liga campaign. However, they will need to transform more draws into three points to challenge the sides in the European places.
The hosts have recorded four wins, four draws, and three losses in their 11 league games this season. The team went into the international break with just one win in their last five matches, which came against Gil Vicente.
Independently, Famalicao did not have much of a break with their involvement in Taca de Portugal matches over the last two weeks, resulting in a 5-0 win over Camacha and elimination by Benfica.
On the other hand, Porto have two matches under their belt since the break and have a chance to lead the league standings with Benfica and Sporting only playing on Sunday.
Porto’s last league match ended in a 2-1 win over Vitoria Guimaraes and was their eighth victory of the league campaign. Nevertheless, Sergio Conceicao will be confident heading into this encounter, which his side have dominated in recent seasons with six straight wins.
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Famalicao Primeira Liga form:
Famalicao form (all competitions):
Porto Primeira Liga form:
Porto form (all competitions):
Team News
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Sousa will have to make do without the services of his regular centre-back Otavio, who was shown a straight red against Benfica and will serve the first of his three-match ban in this one.
Conceicao, on the other hand, has several injury concerns, with Ivan Marcano and Gabriel Veron both set for lengthy absences.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Nathan, Riccieli, De Haas, Moura; Youssouf, Topic; Rodriguez, Sa, Chiquinho; Araujo
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Carmo, Sanusi; Conceicao, Eustaquio, Varela, Franco; Pepe, Evanilson
We say: Famalicao 1-2 Porto
Porto have an excellent record against this opponent and also have the added incentive of moving into pole position in the league standings overnight if they can claim all three points in this one. The hosts will certainly not be a pushover, but we feel the Dragons will outscore them by the final whistle.
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