Preview: Porto vs. Leixoes - prediction, team news, lineups

Group D was decided ahead of time as Estoril Praia booked their place in the final four by beating both of these sides in their two group stage matches.

Match preview

Porto will not have the opportunity to defend their Taca da Liga crown this season after losing 3-1 to Estoril in this competition at the start of the month.

Nevertheless, the Dragons will now likely welcome the opportunity to rest a few of their key players after a rollercoaster of emotions over the last few weeks.

Sergio Conceicao's side put in a massive effort last week to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 to book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Premier League outfit Arsenal in February.

However, after that huge performance, they returned to the league and looked visibly leggy at the weekend when they were beaten 2-0 by Sporting Lisbon, which saw them miss out on an opportunity to take the lead in Primeira Liga going into Christmas.

Unsurprisingly, Porto are unbeaten in their last eight matches against this opponent, though this will be the first time they have met in any competition since January 2019.

Meanwhile, it is an achievement in itself that Leixoes have managed to reach the group stage of this competition, considering how poor they have been this season.

The Babies are currently languishing in the relegation playoff spot in Segunda Liga and have managed just 14 points in as many league matches this season.

They head into this match following a run of five matches without a win, including three draws and two losses, while they also failed to score a single goal in any of those games.

Leixoes's faced Feirense and Portimonense in the first two rounds of this competition, and both matches also ended goalless, but they managed to scrape through on penalties in both instances.

Still, the visitors will relish the opportunity to rub shoulders with the likes of Porto, and with the pressure off, they may be able to play more freely and hopefully give their fans something to cheer about against the Portuguese giants.

Porto Taca da Liga form:

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Porto form (all competitions):

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Leixoes Taca da Liga form:

W

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Leixoes form (all competitions):

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Team News

While Pepe would likely have been given the afternoon off here, he was shown red in the match against Sporting over the weekend and will start the first of his three-match ban in this one.

The only long-term injury absentee for Porto is Ivan Marcano (ACL), while Samuel Portugal (groin) and Gabriel Veron (Achilles) are both flagged as doubts.

Alhassan Wakaso was shown a red card against Estoril back in September but has served his time on the sideline and will be eligible to start this match. The only injury absentee for the visitors is right-winger Mozino.

Joao Amorim, Leo Bolgado and Rafael Vieira are expected to make up the defensive trio, with Fabinho providing them cover as the deepest-lying midfielder.

Porto possible starting lineup:

Ramos; Sanchez, Carmo, Pedro; Pepe, Eustaquio, Grujic, Mendes; Martinez, Taremi, Conceicao

Leixoes possible starting lineup:

Ribeiro; Amorim, Bogado, Viera; Paulinho, Soares, Fabinho, Silva, Henrique; Avto, Santos

We say: Porto 3-0 Leixoes

Regardless of the team that Sergio Conceicao opts to field in this match, Porto should have more than enough class and depth in their side to dominate this match from the off. The visitors have failed to find the target in over 450 minutes of football, and we feel they will see that extended further in this one.

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