Porto set out in search of a seventh consecutive home victory when they square off against Moreirense at the Estadio do Dragao in round 18 of the Primeira Liga on Saturday.

While Os verdes e brancos picked up their first win of the year last time out, they will need to be at their best as they look to end their 13-match winless run against the home side.

Match preview

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Porto continued their surge to the top of the Primeira Liga standings as they picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Braga when the sides squared off last Sunday.

Portuguese defender Fabio Cardoso opened his account for the season with a 12th-minute header before Evanilson netted a second-half penalty to put the result beyond reach.

Porto have now gone five consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, picking up one draw and four wins, including a 4-0 hammering of Estoril Praia in the Taca de Portugal fifth round on January 9.

Sergio Conceicao's men have picked up 12 wins, two draws and lost three of their 17 Primeira Liga matches so far to collect 38 points and sit third in the table, five points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Porto will be backing themselves to make it seven home wins on the bounce this weekend as they take on a Moreirense side who have lost each of their last three meetings and are without a win their last 13 encounters, losing 10 and claiming three draws since a 3-1 victory in May 2017.

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Rui Borges's men returned to winning ways in style as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Estoril Praia at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota last Saturday.

Moreirense raced into a three-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Pedro Aparicio, Marcelo and Brazilian midfielder Alan before substitute Joao Carlos pulled one back for the hosts in the 90th minute.

Prior to that, Os verdes e brancos suffered a 4-1 home loss at the hands of Casa Pia on January 18, a result which saw their run of 10 consecutive league games without defeat come to an end.

Having secured promotion from the second tier last year, Moreirense can dream of securing European football as they sit sixth in the Primeira Liga table, four points behind fourth-placed Braga in the Europa Conference League qualification spot.

Moreirense's solid campaign has been down to their impressive performances on their travels, where they have picked up the fourth-most points in the league (18) and are currently on a six-game unbeaten run, claiming four wins and two draws since a 3-0 loss against Sporting Lisbon on September 17.

Team News

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Porto remain without the services of experienced defender Ivan Marcano, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ACL injury back in September.

Zaidu Sanusi and experienced striker Mehdi Taremi are currently away on international duties with Nigeria and Iran respectively and will play no part in Saturday's game.

Since Taremi's departure in December, Evanilson has been on song for the Dragoes, and the Brazilian forward, who has five goal involvements in the last three games, should spearhead the attack once again.

Off the back of a superb team display against Estoril, Borges has no major reason to tinker with his XI, meaning that we could see an unchanged back four of Dinis Pinto, Maracas, Marcelo and skipper Pedro Amador.

Alan found the back of the net for the first time since October last time out and the 23-year-old should lead the visitors' attack once again, while Goncalo Franco and Ruben Ramos Ismael should form the midfield pivot.

Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Cardoso, Wendell; Varela, Gonzalez, Conceicao, Pepe; Galeno, Evanilson

Moreirense possible starting lineup:
Kewin; Pinto, Maracas, Marcelo, Amador; Ismael, Franco; Camacho, Aparicio, Alanzinho; Kodisang

We say: Porto 3-1 Moreirense

Despite their impressive display against Estoril, Moreirense will need to be at their best as they face a sterner challenge in Porto. Conceicao's men have been near impenetrable at home all season and we are backing them to pick up a seventh consecutive victory at the Estadio do Dragao.

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

Written by
Joshua Ojele

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