Fresh off the back of a 1-1 draw against Maritimo, Porto will be looking to immediately return to winning ways when they welcome Arouca to the Estadio do Dragao on Saturday.
The visitors picked up their first win of the season last time out when they beat Famalicao 2-1 on home turf and will aim to build on that performance.
Match preview
Porto were denied a third win on the spin last Sunday when they played out a 1-1 draw against a resilient Maritimo side in Funchal.
The hosts put on a defensive show of class in the second half to deny Porto all three points after Bruno Xadas cancelled out Luis Diaz's opener on the stroke of half time.
Prior to that, Sergio Conceicao's side picked up two wins from their opening two games of the season, beating Belenenses and Famalicao while scoring two goals in both ties.
The Dragoes have now avoided defeat in their last 15 games across all competitions, dating back to a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals back in April.
Having picked up seven wins from their previous eight meetings, Porto will feel confident of getting the better of Arouca, who have endured an unconvincing start to the season.
Saturday's visitors picked up their first win since returning to the Portuguese top flight when they beat Famalicao 2-1 at the Estadio Municipal de Arouca last Friday.
After falling behind to Bruno Rodrigues's 23rd-minute opener, Arouca upped the ante in the second half and forced an impressive comeback with goals from defender Joao Basso and Portuguese midfielder Leandro Silva.
Prior to that, the Arouquenses lost each of their last three games in all competitions, including a 1-0 defeat against Rio Ave which condemned them to a second-round exit from the Taca da Liga qualifiers.
Despite Friday's win, head coach Armando Evangelista will be concerned by his misfiring strikers, who have failed to find the back of the net in any of their last four outings.
However, after closing the 2020-21 season with 11 straight wins, scoring 24 goals and keeping eight clean sheets to end their four-year absence from the Primeira Liga, Arouca will feel optimistic about their chances of surging up the table in the coming weeks.
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
Team News
Porto will once again take to the pitch without the services of former Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic, who came off with a muscle injury in May's friendly against Lyon.
Argentine goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin will go under the knife after sustaining a meniscus injury, meaning Diogo Costa will start between the sticks on Saturday.
Following their solid defensive display last time out, we expect Conceicao to name an unchanged back four with full-back Ivan Marcano in line for his second straight starting appearance.
The Arouquenses are expected to line up in a similar four-man defence with Mateus Quaresma, Joao Basso, Sema Velazquez and Thales shielding Fernando Castro between the sticks.
First-choice goalkeeper Victor Braga will serve the second of his three-game suspension after picking up a straight red card inside the first 10 minutes of Arouca's game versus Benfica.
Teenage midfielder Antony Santos has been out of action since picking up a knee injury back in March and will play no part in this tie.
Porto possible starting lineup:
D Costa; Mario, Pepe, Mbemba, Marcano; Otavio, B Costa, Uribe, Diaz; Taremi, Martinez
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Castro; Thales, Basso, Velazquez, Quaresma; Silva, Moreira, Bukia; Ofori, Nunes, Silva
We say: Porto 3-0 Arouca
Fresh off the back of picking up their first win of the campaign, Arouca will head into the game feeling positive. While they will look to cause an upset, we are tipping Porto to claim a comfortable win as they boast a significantly stronger and more experienced crop of players.
Considering Arouca's struggles in front of goal, we also predict the hosts will come away with a clean sheet.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
