Preview: Porto vs. Pacos de Ferreira - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side, on the other hand, head into the weekend fresh off the back of clinching top spot in Group B of the Champions League and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling.

Match preview

Porto sent Atletico Madrid crashing out of Europe as they held firm to claim a 2-1 victory over the Spanish outfit in their final Champions League group-stage outing on Tuesday.

Having picked up five points from a possible 15, Diego Simeone's side needed a win to secure a place in the Europa League, but first-half goals from Mehdi Taremi and Stephen Eustaquio put the hosts in the driver's seat before Ivan Marcano scored a 95th-minute own goal.

With Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge playing out a goalless draw in the other group fixture, Tuesday's victory saw Porto finish as group winners after picking up 12 points from six matches, one point above second-placed Club Brugge.

Porto now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they failed to return to winning ways last Saturday as they were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw by Santa Clara at the Estadio de Sao Miguel.

Prior to that, Sergio Conceicao's side saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end on October 21 when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Benfica courtesy of Rafa Silva's 72nd-minute effort.

Porto have now picked up seven wins, two draws and lost two of their 11 league matches this season to collect 23 points and sit third in the Primeira Liga standings, eight points adrift of Benfica at the top of the pile.

Elsewhere, Pacos de Ferreira were left empty handed once again as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Maritimo when the sides squared off last Friday.

Having both picked up two points from their previous 10 matches, it was the visitors who prevailed as Venezuelan international Jesus Ramirez scored the only goal at Estadio Capital do Movel to hand the visitors their first win of the season.

Pacos de Ferreira, who secured an 11th-placed finish last season, have now picked up two draws and lost 12 of their last 14 games across all competitions, dating back to a 1-0 pre-season friendly victory over Santa Clara on July 20.

The Pacenses are currently rooted to the bottom of the league standings and their underwhelming start to the season has been owing to their struggles in attack, where they hold the league's worst record with seven goals scored, while conceding 20 at the opposite end of the pitch.

While Jose Mota's men will be looking to finally get their campaign up and running, this weekend's clash pits them against a superior Porto side who have won the last four meetings between the teams and are unbeaten in 17 of their previous 20 encounters since February 2009.

Porto Primeira Liga form:

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Porto form (all competitions):

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Pacos de Ferreira Primeira Liga form:

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Team News

Porto will take to the pitch without Brazilian youngster Gabriel Veron, who has missed the last two matches after coming off injured against Porto on October 26.

Veteran defender Pepe is also out of contention for the hosts after the 39-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen on October 4.

Meanwhile, Arouca will be without several key players down the spine of the team, as the likes of Erick Ferigra, Abbas Ibrahim and Scottish international Jordan Holsgrove are all ruled out through injuries.

Veteran midfielder Luiz Carlos has missed the last six matches after the 37-year-old came off injured against Casa Pia on September 11, while Joao Vigario is yet to feature this year after picking up an ACL injury in August 2021.

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Pepe, Cardoso, Marcano, Sanusi; Otavio, Costa, Eustaquio; Galeno, Evanilson, Taremi

Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:

Vekic; Fonseca, Ilori, Ramos, Antunes; Pires, Toma; Delgado, Djalo, Uilton; Koffi

We say: Porto 3-0 Pacos de Ferreira

Porto will be licking their lips as they take on a floundering Pacos de Ferreira side who have endured a horrid start to the campaign. Looking at the gulf in quality and experience between the two sides, we are tipping the Dragoes to ease to a comfortable victory.

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