Two teams with contrasting fortunes this season go head-to-head on Monday when third-from-bottom SC Farense host second-placed Porto.

Sergio Vieira's men will come into this one in a confident mood, despite their league position, after defeating Gil Vicente last time out.

Match preview

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That 3-1 victory on Sunday lifted Farense out of the bottom two, although they remain in the relegation playoff place.

Three points in midweek, though, could see them shoot up the Primeira Liga standings, thanks to the tight and congested nature of the top flight this season.

The Estadio de Sao Luis outfit have a game in hand over the teams around them and have come into some decent form of late.

Seven points from a possible 15 is a solid return for a side currently sitting in the drop zone, and their recent run will fill them with confidence coming into this one.

Porto will be desperate to get back to winning ways after seeing their 17-game unbeaten run ended by Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday as the capital club advanced to the Taca da Liga final at their expense.

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Sergio Conceicao's men are four points behind league leaders Sporting and will have their sights set on closing the gap to a solitary point before the Verde e Brancos play on Tuesday.

While the Dragons have been scoring goals for fun throughout 2020-21, their defence has come under pressure for their less than adequate displays on several occasions.

The reigning Primeira Liga champions have conceded 17 goals in their opening 14 league games, meaning second-bottom Belenenses have a superior defensive record than them, something that will have to change if they are to retain their crown.

Conceicao needs to find a balance between defence and attack sooner rather than later, or they could see their era of domestic dominance come crashing down.

SC Farense Primeira Liga form: LWLDLW
SC Farense form (all competitions): LWLDLW

Porto Primeira Liga form: WWWWWD
Porto form (all competitions): WWWWDL

Team News

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Vieira almost has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from for this one, with defensive midfielder Claudio Falcao the only absentee through injury.

That means former Dundee United midfielder Ryan Gauld is likely to start in the No.10 position once again after impressing throughout the current campaign.

Like many Portuguese teams this month, Porto have experienced a coronavirus outbreak that has sidelined a number of first-team stars.

Carraca, Luis Diaz, Sergio Oliveira, Evanilson, Romario Baro and Nanu all tested positive for COVID-19 and are having to self-isolate, ruling them out of contention for this one.

Experienced centre-back Ivan Marcano and goalkeeper Mouhamed Mbaye are both unavailable once again, with the pair continuing to recover from their respective cruciate ligament injuries.

SC Farense possible starting lineup:
Defendi; Pinto, Nogueira, Scheid, Fabio Nunes; Isidoro, Oudrhiri; Seco, Gauld, Lica; Stojiljkovic

Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Leite, Pepe, Mbemba; Sanusi, Uribe, Grujic, Corona; Anderson, Mario; Marega

We say: SC Farense 1-3 Porto

Despite Porto suffering from a coronavirus outbreak that has severely depleted their squad, their key men are still available, and the 2019-20 Primeira Liga champions should have far too much quality for this relegation-threatened Farense side.

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