Aiming to put a disappointing sequence of results behind them, Porto welcome a Casa Pia side seven places below them in the Primeira Liga table in Monday's gameweek 12 fixture at Estadio do Dragao.
Vitor Bruno's men are winless in four matches in all competitions, albeit all away from home, but they will be wary of an opponent that have avoided defeat in five games.
Match preview
After a fairly smooth transition from Sergio Conceicao to Bruno, Porto's ongoing wobble is the first blip under the new head coach, as evidenced by the ongoing four-match winless run.
A 2-1 Europa League loss to Lazio was followed by a 4-1 thrashing by fellow 'Big Three' rivals Benfica before the international break, and the hiatus has not prevented further disappointment.
The Dragons were eliminated in the domestic cup by Moreirense (1-2) last weekend, inflicting the club's third straight loss, and Bruno's men twice lost leads at 1-0 and 2-1 in Thursday's 2-2 draw at Anderlecht, with the latter coming with four minutes of the 90 to play.
After four consecutive losses away from home in various competitions, the Portistas are hoping that a return to familiar surroundings will provide the boost they need to get back on track and continue their perfect home Liga record this season — only Benfica (six wins from six) and Sporting (five wins from five) have matched Bruno's men.
Having gone five unbeaten in this fixture, including an ongoing sequence of three consecutive victories, the hosts hope home comforts inspire a seventh league triumph at the Dragao on Monday.
Already trailing the unblemished defending champions by six points, Bruno's side could be third in the standings when they kick off on Monday, with Sporting favourites to dispatch Santa Clara and Benfica, two points behind, away at bottom club Arouca.
It will be interesting to see if Casa Pia take advantage of their hosts' troubling form, even if those results have not been at the Dragao.
Despite their winless run against the giants, the Lisbon outfit enter Monday night's match seeking their sixth straight game without losing, a streak with the caveat of two Taca de Portugal wins over Amora (5-0) and Chaves (3-0).
Casa Pia's recent draws against Rio Ave (2-2) and Farense (1-1) highlight a trend: Joao Pereira's team have dominated weaker opponents but struggled to secure victories against fellow top-tier clubs.
Having already suffered defeats on the road against Benfica (0-3) and Sporting (0-2) this season, Casa Pia face another challenging away fixture against a top-tier opponent.
Given their 1-2-2 record in away matches this season, the travelling support may head into round 12's visit to Dragao in fear rather than any real expectation.
Team News
After netting one goal in the last six appearances, the Dragons will hope Samu Aghehowa returns to form and adds to his eight Liga goals.
The forward could benefit from deliveries from Francisco Moura and Martim Fernandes in the full-back positions, with both wide defenders supplying four goals each this term.
Marko Grujic and Deniz Gul are sidelined due to injury, while Stephen Eustaquio will be assessed after his late withdrawal at Anderlecht.
Claudio Mendes and Kiki are not expected to play any part for Casa Pia on Monday owing to injury problems.
Only Cassiano (four goals) and Nuno Moreira (two) have scored more than once for the away side in 2024-25, and the forwards aim to add to their respective tallies at the Dragao.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Fernandes, Djalo, Perez, Moura; Gonzalez, Varela; Pepe, Vieira, Galeno; Aghehowa
Casa Pia possible starting lineup:
Sequeira; Zolotic, Goulart, Kluivert; Geraldes, Kraev, Brito, Lelo; Livolant, Cassiano, Moreira
We say: Porto 3-0 Casa Pia
Porto are expected to put the recent wobble behind them on their return to the Dragao, seeking a return to winning ways at Casa Pia's expense.
After four matches without success, Bruno's team are backed to record a seventh straight Liga victory in front of their supporters and eighth since the end of last season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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