Porto continue their hunt for a first Taca da Liga title when they face second-tier Academico de Viseu in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening.

The annual cup competition has taken a different form due to the World Cup this season, but both of these sides are now just 90 minutes away from the final on Saturday.

Match preview

Porto extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 matches on Saturday after a narrow success at Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Primeira Liga courtesy of a first-half strike from Joao Mario.

That victory in Guimaraes was the Dragoes' third-successive win and kept promotion rivals Benfica and Braga within reach as attention turns to Taca da Liga matters.

Sergio Conceicao's side are unbeaten in this competition, topping their group over the World Cup break with seven points from three matches before defeating Gil Vicente 2-0 in the last round.

Wenderson Galeno and Medhi Taremi got the goals that day at Estadio do Dragao, strikes that allowed Porto to resume their search for a maiden success in this competition within this week.

Academico Viseu are on an unbeaten run of their own in Liga Portugal 2, having not lost in their last 11 league matches while also progressing to the last four of this year's Taca da Liga.

Top-flight side Boavista were Viseu's victims in the last round, with goals from Christophe Nduwarugira and Rafael Fonseca securing an unlikely victory and setting up an attractive tie with one of Portugal's elite outfits.

Viseu have managed to consolidate in the second tier of Portuguese football over the past decade and are clearly now looking to add some major silverware to the trophy room at Estadio do Fontelo, although an assignment against the Dragoes will fully test their cup-winning credentials.

The club are yet to win a major honour in their history but now find themselves as little as 180 minutes away from doing just that, with supporters of Jorge Costa's side hoping for a magical week in Leira.

Team News

Porto will be unable to call on the services of forward Evanilson for this semi-final clash after the Brazilian suffered a knee injury at the end of December, an issue that is set to keep the 23-year-old sidelined until next month.

That absence has allowed Antonio Martinez more time in the XI as a partner for the aforementioned Taremi in attack, and the Spaniard will be hoping to add to his two Taca de Liga goals when he faces second-tier opposition on Wednesday night.

Viseu striker Andre Clovis leads the Liga Portugal 2 goalscoring charts with 14 strikes and will be keen to showcase his talents against the Dragoes as he continues his loan spell from Estoril.

Jonathan Toro will be tasked with providing for Clovis in the Viseu attack, with the 26-year-old set to be joined in the midfield by Pana and youngster Tomas Silva.

Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Wendell; Otavio, Uribe, Eustaquio, Galeno; Martinez, Taremi

Academico de Viseu possible starting lineup:
Gril; Mesquita, Chaves, Silva, Miloransa; Silva, Pana, Yuri, Toro, Ramirez; Clovis

We say: Porto 3-0 Academico de Viseu

Porto will be tempted to rest players for this clash as their title hunt in the Primeira Liga continues, but the chance to win their first-ever Taca da Liga should be enough to see Conceicao pick his strongest XI.

Viseu have nothing to lose in Leira and should play with no worries, but unfortunately for them, the might of the Dragoes should be too strong on the night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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