Two sides separated by just two points in the upper echelons of the Primeira Liga standings square off Sunday when Porto play host to Braga at the Estadio do Dragao.
The two local rivals head into the midweek clash off the back of contrasting results in the Taca de Portugal, with Os Arcebispos suffering a narrow defeat against Benfica.
Match preview
© Reuters
Porto stormed into the quarter-finals of the Taca de Portugal on Tuesday when they picked up a resounding 4-0 victory over Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota.
Brazilian striker Evanilson turned in a performance of the highest quality as he scored a hat-trick to fire the visitors in a commanding lead before Wenderson Galeno put the icing on the cake with a 76th-minute strike.
Sergio Conceicao's men have now gone four consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, picking up one draw and three wins, including a 2-1 victory over Leixoes in the Taca da Liga, where they finished second in Group D.
Having played their first two games in the new year on the road, the Dragoes now return home, where they are currently on a six-game winning streak, scoring 17 goals and keeping three clean sheets since a 1-0 loss against Estoril Praia on November 3.
Porto have picked up 11 wins and two draws in their 16 Primeira Liga matches so far to collect 35 points and sit third in the league table, two points and one place above Sunday's visitors, and four points off second-placed Benfica in the Champions League playoff spot.
© Reuters
Braga can feel satisfied with how they fared in the first half of the season as they head into the business end of the campaign well on course to secure European football once again.
However, Os Arcebispos were sent packing from the Taca de Portugal on Wednesday as they fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat against Benfica when the sides squared off at the Estadio da Luz.
Despite the efforts of Rodrigo Zalazar, goals from Rafa Silva, Arthur Cabral and Fredrik Aursnes helped As Aguias scrap through the fifth round of the cup and record a sixth consecutive win across all competitions.
Artur Jorge's side now return to the Primeira Liga, where they are unbeaten in 10 of their last 11 matches — claiming eight wins and two draws — with a 1-0 home defeat against Benfica on December 17 being the exception.
While Braga will look to bounce back from their midweek defeat and pick up their first win of the year, next up is a Porto side who are unbeaten in their last three meetings and have picked up 10 wins and five draws in their 20 clashes since January 2009.
The most recent encounter between the two local rivals came in the Taca de Portugal final back in June 2023, when an own goal from Andre Horta and Otavio's 81st-minute strike saw Conceica's men clinch the cup title.
However, Braga will fancy themselves to get the better of Porto this weekend, given their run of results away from home, where they boast the joint second-best point tally in the Primeira Liga (19) and have picked up four wins and one draw in their last five games in the league.
Team News
© Reuters
Porto will have to cope without Zaidu Sanusi, who is currently away on international duty with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, while striker Mehdi Taremi has joined up with the Iran squad for the Asian Cup.
Leading the line in Taremi's absence, Evanilson fired the Dragoes to an emphatic cup win last time out and we expect the 24-year-old striker to spearhead the attack once again.
On the injury front, Conceicao will be unable to call upon the services of experienced defender Ivan Marcano, who has been sidelined since sustaining an ACL injury back in September.
With his brace against Benfica, Zalazar has four goal involvements in his last three matches and we expect the Uruguayan midfielder to retain his role at the centre of the park, alongside Joao Moutinho and Vitor Carvalho.
The goals have dried up for Abel Ruiz, who has gone 15 consecutive games without finding the target, but we expect the Spanish forward to lead Os Arcebispos' attack once again.
Midfielder Sikou Niakate and 27-year-old striker Simon Banza are also away at the AFCON and will also play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Cardoso, Wendell; Franco, Grujic, Eustaquio, Pepe; Martinez, Evanilson
Braga possible starting lineup:
Lima; Gomez, Fonte, Saatci, Borja; Moutinho, Carvalho, Zalazar; Horta, Bruma, Ruiz
We say: Porto 3-1 Braga
Still licking their wounds from the cup exit, Braga will head into the weekend looking to pick up a morale-boosting result. However, Porto have been near impenetrable at home in recent weeks and we fancy them to extend their dominance in this fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
