Estoril Praia and Porto will be looking to get up and running in the new year when they go head to head at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in round five of the Taca de Portugal on Tuesday.
Having suffered a 3-1 loss when the sides met in the Taca da Liga just four weeks ago, the Dragoes will look to exact their revenge against the hosts and pick up their first win of the year.
Match preview
© Reuters
Estoril Praia were denied a dream start to the new year as they suffered a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday.
In-form striker Viktor Gyokeres finished with a hat-trick of assists while English winger Marcus Edwards netted a first-half brace to inspire the hosts to all three points.
Prior to that, Estoril were on a four-game unbeaten run, picking up one draw and three wins, including a 3-1 victory over Porto when the sides met in Group D of the Taca da Liga on December 6.
Friday's result leaves Vasco Seabra's men ninth in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 17 points with Estrela Amadora and Boavista, and just two points above 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.
However, Estoril now return home, where they have won each of their last five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just twice since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Benfica on October 7.
© Reuters
Porto, on the other hand, failed to make it five consecutive victories over Boavista on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw when the sides squared off at the Estadio do Bessa in the Primeira Liga.
The Dragoes looked on course to a routine victory after Toni Martinez opened the scoring in the 23rd minute but Bruno Lourenco restored parity five minutes later before Os Axadrezados turned in a defensive masterclass to see out the draw.
This result has seen Porto slip five points adrift of Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Primeira Liga table as they currently occupy third place, having picked up 35 points from 16 matches.
Sergio Conceicao's men now turn their attention to the Taca de Portugal, where they kicked off the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Vilar Perdizes on October 20, five weeks before thrashing Montalegre 4-0 in the second round.
Tuesday's tie sees Porto journey to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, where they are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 visits — claiming six wins and five draws — with December's cup defeat being the exception.
Team News
© Reuters
Estoril Praia will take to the pitch without the services of Uruguayan defender Erick Cabaco, who has been out of action since last September through a muscle injury.
Other than that, this weekend's hosts head into the game with a clean bill of health, giving Saebra the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
We expect the Portuguese head coach to make a few changes to the starting side that suffered a 5-1 hammering against Sporting, with the experienced duo of Cassiano and former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala coming into the XI.
Porto, on the other hand, remain without the services of experienced defender Ivan Marcano, who has been sidelined since sustaining an ACL injury back in September.
He is joined on the Dragoes injury table by 29-year-old goalkeeper Samuel Portugal, who is currently recuperating from a groin problem.
Conceicao will also be unable to name the attacking duo of Gabriel Veron and Fran Navarro, following their recent transfers to Cruzeiro and Olympiacos respectively.
Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:
Carne; Parra, Mangala, Vital; Marques, Gomes, Araujo, Guitane; Koindredi, Holsgrove, Cassiano
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Cardoso, Wendell; Franco, Grujic, Eustaquio, Pepe; Martinez, Evanilson
We say: Estoril Praia 1-2 Porto
Having suffered a slip-up in their first outing of the year, Porto will head into the cup tie looking to quickly find their feet. While we expect Estoril to put up a fight at home, where they have been tough to crack of late, Conceicao's men boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we fancy them to come away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
