Seeking to move level on points with Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga standings, Porto take on Famalicao at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Saturday.
Having failed to win any of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, the Vila Nova will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors and end their run of five back-to-back home games without a win in all competitions.
Match preview
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Famalicao were left empty handed yet again as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Estoril Praia when the two sides squared off at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota last Sunday.
Estoril raced into a two-goal lead inside 30 minutes through strikes from Joao Carvalho and Alejandro Marques, and after Oscar Aranda pulled one back for the visitors on the stroke of half time, the Canarinhos held their own after the break to secure just their third league win.
Before that, Famalicao suffered a fourth-round exit from the Taca de Portugal on November 24, when they were beaten 1-0 by Santa Clara at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao courtesy of a 78th-minute effort from Bruno Almeida.
Since kicking off the season with three back-to-back victories, it has been a topsy-turvy run of results for the Vila Nova, who have managed just one win from their subsequent nine games while losing three and claiming five draws in that time.
Despite their recent struggles and lack of consistency, Armando Evangelista's men currently sit seventh in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 17 points with eighth-placed Moreirense after 12 rounds of matches.
Next up for Famalicao is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in any of their most recent 10 clashes, losing nine and managing one draw since a 2-1 victory in June 2020.
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Porto, on the other hand, made it five home wins on the bounce on Monday as they edged out Casa Pia 2-0 when the two sides squared off at the Estadio do Dragao.
Following a goalless first half, Samu Omorodion turned in an eye-catching individual display as he set up Fabio Vieira's 51st-minute opener, four minutes before adding to the scoresheet to see off the visitors.
This was a much-needed respite for the Dragoes, who had endured a run of mediocre results, losing three and claiming one draw from their previous four matches across all competitions.
Vitor Bruno's men have picked up 10 wins and lost two of their 12 Primeira Liga matches so far to collect 30 points and sit second in the table, three points behind first-placed Sporting Lisbon.
While Porto are unbeaten at home across all competitions since April, they have struggled to grind out results on their travels, where they are on a four-match winless run, losing three and picking up one draw since October's 5-0 victory over AVS.
Team News
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Famalicao will head into the weekend with a clean bill of health and no suspension concern, giving head coach Evangelista the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.
Aranda netted just his second league goal with his strike against Estoril last time out and the Spanish forward should form the Vila Nova attacking quartet, alongside Gil Dias, Gustavo Sa and Rochininha.
As for Porto, Bruno will be unable to name experienced full-back Wendell, who continues his long road to full fitness after suffering a severe injury back in September.
He is joined on the club's injury table by experienced midfielder Marko Grujic, who has been sidelined since October while Ivan Marcano continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through an ACL injury.
Following his standout display against Casa Pia, Omorodion now has 10 goal involvements in nine Primeira Liga games and the 20-year-old should spearhead the visitors' attack once again.
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Zlobin; Calegari, Mihaj, Riccieli, Soares; Youssouf, Topic; Dias, Sa, Rochinha; Aranda
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Perez, Otavio, Moura; Gonzalez, Eustaquio; Pepe, Vieira, Galeno; Omorodion
We say: Famalicao 0-2 Porto
Buoyed by their victory over Casa Pia, Porto will head into the weekend with renewed confidence as they look to move level on points with Sporting Lisbon at the top of the table.
While we expect Famalicao to put up a fight, Bruno's men boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we are backing them to extend their dominance in their fixture.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
