Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Estoril Praia vs. Porto - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 January 2024, 23:58
Estoril Praia and Porto will be looking to get up and running in the new year when they go head to head at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in round five of the Taca de Portugal on Tuesday.

Having suffered a 3-1 loss when the sides met in the Taca da Liga just four weeks ago, the Dragoes will look to exact their revenge against the hosts and pick up their first win of the year.

Match preview

Estoril Praia were denied a dream start to the new year as they suffered a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday.

In-form striker Viktor Gyokeres finished with a hat-trick of assists while English winger Marcus Edwards netted a first-half brace to inspire the hosts to all three points.

Prior to that, Estoril were on a four-game unbeaten run, picking up one draw and three wins, including a 3-1 victory over Porto when the sides met in Group D of the Taca da Liga on December 6.

Friday's result leaves Vasco Seabra's men ninth in the Primeira Liga standings, level on 17 points with Estrela Amadora and Boavista, and just two points above 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.

However, Estoril now return home, where they have won each of their last five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just twice since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Benfica on October 7.

Porto, on the other hand, failed to make it five consecutive victories over Boavista on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw when the sides squared off at the Estadio do Bessa in the Primeira Liga.

The Dragoes looked on course to a routine victory after Toni Martinez opened the scoring in the 23rd minute but Bruno Lourenco restored parity five minutes later before Os Axadrezados turned in a defensive masterclass to see out the draw.

This result has seen Porto slip five points adrift of Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Primeira Liga table as they currently occupy third place, having picked up 35 points from 16 matches.

Sergio Conceicao's men now turn their attention to the Taca de Portugal, where they kicked off the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Vilar Perdizes on October 20, five weeks before thrashing Montalegre 4-0 in the second round.

Tuesday's tie sees Porto journey to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota, where they are unbeaten in 11 of their last 12 visits — claiming six wins and five draws — with December's cup defeat being the exception.

Estoril Praia Taca de Portugal form:

W

W

Estoril Praia form (all competitions):

L

W

W

D

W

L

Porto Taca de Portugal form:

W

W

Porto form (all competitions):

W

W

L

W

W

D

Advert - content below:

Team News

Estoril Praia will take to the pitch without the services of Uruguayan defender Erick Cabaco, who has been out of action since last September through a muscle injury.

Other than that, this weekend's hosts head into the game with a clean bill of health, giving Saebra the luxury of a full-strength squad at his disposal.

We expect the Portuguese head coach to make a few changes to the starting side that suffered a 5-1 hammering against Sporting, with the experienced duo of Cassiano and former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala coming into the XI.

Porto, on the other hand, remain without the services of experienced defender Ivan Marcano, who has been sidelined since sustaining an ACL injury back in September.

He is joined on the Dragoes injury table by 29-year-old goalkeeper Samuel Portugal, who is currently recuperating from a groin problem.

Conceicao will also be unable to name the attacking duo of Gabriel Veron and Fran Navarro, following their recent transfers to Cruzeiro and Olympiacos respectively.

Estoril Praia possible starting lineup:

Carne; Parra, Mangala, Vital; Marques, Gomes, Araujo, Guitane; Koindredi, Holsgrove, Cassiano

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Mario, Pepe, Cardoso, Wendell; Franco, Grujic, Eustaquio, Pepe; Martinez, Evanilson

We say: Estoril Praia 1-2 Porto

Having suffered a slip-up in their first outing of the year, Porto will head into the cup tie looking to quickly find their feet. While we expect Estoril to put up a fight at home, where they have been tough to crack of late, Conceicao's men boast the firepower needed to get the job done and we fancy them to come away with the desired result.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.