In what will be their fourth encounter across all competitions this season, Porto and Sporting Lisbon go head to head in the second leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie on Thursday.

Having secured a 2-1 victory when the sides met at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in March's reverse leg, Sergio Conceicao's men will be looking to pick up where they dropped off as they eye an 18th cup title.

Match preview

© Reuters

Porto turned in a performance worthy of champions as they cruised to an emphatic 7-0 victory over Portimonense when the sides squared off in the Primeira Liga last Saturday.

In a goal glut at Estadio do Dragao, the attacking duo of Mehdi Taremi and Evanilson put the Portimao-based club to the sword as they netted three and two goals respectively to cap off a sensational team display.

Conceicao's men have now won each of their last four games, scoring 12 goals and keeping four clean sheets, while they are unbeaten in six outings across all competitions, stretching back to a 1-0 loss against Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League tie back in March.

Needing one win from their final four games to be crowned Primeira Liga champions as they boast a nine-point lead at the top of the table, Porto can dream of a potential domestic double following an equally impressive run in the Taca de Portugal.

The Dragoes kicked off their cup campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory over Feirense back in November before brushing aside Benfica and Vizela to set up a two-legged semi-final tie with rivals Sporting Lisbon.

Porto placed one foot in the cup final with a resilient first-leg display on March 2 when Taremi cancelled out Pablo Sarabia's 49th-minute opener before Evanilson netted in the 64th minute to complete the comeback in the game against the Leoes.

© Reuters

Sporting Lisbon, on the other hand, suffered a huge blow to their already slender title chances as they fell to a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Benfica in the Primeira Liga last weekend.

Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez delivered the goods once again as he opened the scoring in the 14th minute before setting up Gil Dias, who put the icing on the cake with a 92nd-minute strike.

The Portuguese champions had previously picked up five wins from six games across all competitions, with the goalless draw in the Champions League clash against Manchester City on March 9 being the only exception.

Ruben Amorim will now urge his side to quickly wipe the dust off their feet as they turn their attention to the Taca de Portugal, where they opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Varzim back in November before seeing off Casa Pia and Leca to progress to the last-four stage.

While Sporting Lisbon also seek a 19th cup title, first up is the daunting task of overturning a first-leg deficit against an opposing side who they have failed to beat in any of their last four attempts since a 2-1 victory in last season's Taca da Liga final.

Team News

© Reuters

Porto will be without 25-year-old midfielder Bruno Costa, who has been out of action since sustaining an injury in the Europa League game against Lyon back in March.

Mateus Uribe, who has made 24 appearances in the Primeira Liga this season, is also set to sit out his second consecutive game after picking up an injury against Santa Clara on April 4.

Wilson Manafa is another name on the Dragoes injury table as the Portuguese full-back continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a leg injury last December.

Taremi, who now has 18 goals and 12 assists to his name in the league, turned in a performance of the highest quality against Portimonense at the weekend and we expect him to lead the attack once again.

Tasked with stopping the Iranian forward should be Luis Neto, Sebastian Coates and Goncalo Inacio, as we expect Amorim to name an unchanged backline for the third game running.

Pablo Sarabia has been on song for Sporting Lisbon since his loan arrival from Paris Saint-Germain and the Spanish forward should form an attacking trio with Pedro Goncalves and 29-year-old Paulinho.

On the injury front, the Portuguese champions will be without the services of Zouhair Feddal after the 33-year-old defender came off injured in the game against Moreirense back in March.

Porto possible starting lineup:
D Costa; Sanusi, Pepe, Mbemba, Mario; Vitinha, Grujic; Vieira, Otavio, Pepe; Taremi

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adnan; Inacio, Coates, Neto; Reis, Nunes, Ugarte, Porro; Goncalves, Paulinho, Sarabia

We say: Porto 1-1 Sporting Lisbon

Porto head into the game with a vital first-leg advantage but will need to guard against complacency as they face a Sporting Lisbon side who will be looking to deliver an immediate response to their defeat against Benfica. Amorim's side have failed to defeat Porto in any of the last four meetings between the sides and we predict this trend will continue with the hosts holding out for a draw and going through on aggregate.

Previews by email