Porto welcome Santa Clara to the Estadio do Dragao on Saturday, as they look to reduce the gap between themselves and Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Primeira Liga table.

After a strong run of four wins from their last five league games, Sergio Conceicao's side now sit 10 points behind the league leaders, while Santa Clara have climbed back up to seventh spot thanks to an upturn in form prior to the international break.

Match preview

Porto secured a narrow victory before the international break, as they beat Portimonense 2-1 away from home.

Conceicao's men took the lead on the stroke of half time through a Lucas Possignolo own goal, and Fali Cande would equalise for the hosts before Os Dragoes retook the lead through an own goal by Portimonense goalkeeper Samuel.

While that did seal another victory, the defending champions will hope to look more convincing going forward, as they only narrowly escaped with three points due to two defensive lapses from the struggling outfit.

However, that did take their winning run to three league matches, having previously defeated Pacos de Ferreira and Gil Vicente 2-0.

The Estadio do Dragao outfit now sit in second spot, with a 10-point gap between themselves and league leaders Sporting Lisbon with 10 league games left to play.

That position is largely due to their strong attacking record this season, with no other side in the top flight scoring as many as the 51 goals that Conceicao's men have netted in 24 league games.

However, they will now feel that they cannot afford to drop any more points if they are to remain with a fighting chance of catching Sporting and retaining their Primeira Liga crown.

A win is by no means certain in this game though, as they take on a Santa Clara side who have cemented themselves in the top half of the table thanks to a strong season.

Daniel Ramos's side snatched a point in their last game before the international break, as they drew 1-1 in a mid-table clash at home to Tondela.

The visitors looked set to take all three points after Mario Gonzalez put them ahead on the stroke of half time, but a 94th-minute Yohan Tavares goal saw the game finish level.

Before that, Os Acoreanos recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Portimonense, as Rui Costa scored early before Carlos put the game out of sight in the second half.

Ramos's men now sit in seventh spot in the Portuguese top flight, while they have reduced the gap between themselves and sixth-placed Vitoria de Guimaraes to just three points.

As a result, he will be looking for a somewhat unlikely win on Saturday, which could see Os Acoreanos move into the Primeira Liga's top six.

Team News

Porto centre-back Pepe was brought off after just 20 minutes in the victory over Portimonense before the international break due to ongoing calf issues, but he could be available on Saturday, after having over two weeks to recover.

Pepe was responsible for some of the defensive heroics in the Champions League second-leg tie with Juventus, and has formed a strong back line alongside Chancel Mbemba this season.

The line will be led by the impressive pairing of Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega, who have notched up a combined tally of 15 goals and 12 assists in league action this campaign.

They will be supported by the attacking threat of midfielder Sergio Oliveira, who has netted 11 league goals so far this season, a tally only topped by Sporting Lisbon star Pedro Goncalves and Benfica forward Haris Seferovic.

Santa Clara will be without centre-back Fabio Cardoso and winger Allano for this game, after both players were sent off in the draw with Tondela.

Meanwhile, they will remain without midfielder Julio Romao, who is expected to be out for the majority of the season with a knee injury.

However, Ramos's midfield options will be boosted by the return of Nene, who served a suspension last time out for accumulating five yellow cards.

Porto possible starting lineup:
Marchesin; Manafa, Mbemba, Pepe, Sanusi; Corona, Uribe, Oliveira, Otavio; Taremi, Marega

Santa Clara possible starting lineup:
Marco; Ramos, Afonso, Villanueva, Mansur; Carlos, Morita, Nene, Lincoln, Crysan; Costa

We say: Porto 2-0 Santa Clara

With the chance to put a small amount of pressure on Sporting Lisbon, we expect Porto to come into this game desperate for a win, and their quality should see them to a fairly routine home victory.

With the league's best attack combining with a resilient defensive line, Conceicao's side should have more than enough to get over the line at the Estadio do Dragao, as they have no more room to drop points in their pursuit of the top spot.

Previews by email