Preview: SC Farense vs. Porto - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts are currently on 24 points, one game into the second half of the season, while the visitors are on 41 and are trailing second-placed Benfica by four points.

Match preview

After finishing second behind Moreirense in Liga Portugal 2 last season, the two newly promoted teams are enjoying an excellent campaign in the top flight, firmly placed in the top half of the table.

Farense are currently in seventh place in the league standings, one spot below The Green and Whites and just two places below their all-time best league finish of fifth, which they achieved back in the 1994-95 season.

The Lions of Faro head into Sunday's encounter following a 1-0 away win against Casa Pia last week, which marked their seventh top-flight victory this term, along with three draws and eight losses.

Jose Mota's side's biggest strength this season has been their home form, as they secured the bulk of their points (14) at this venue and have lost just one of their last five while maintaining clean sheets in four of those matches.

However, they now face a major step up in class of opponent in Porto, who won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in August, marking their third consecutive victory in matches between these two teams.

Not only did Porto beat Farense in the last three encounters, but they also outscored them 8-2 in that time and come into this one in fantastic goal-scoring form this year.

The Dragons showed no mercy to league debutants Moreirense last week, smashing in five goals without response, which followed a 2-0 victory over Braga and a 4-0 demolition of Estoril in the Taca de Portugal before that.

With those results, Sergio Conceicao's side are now unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions and have only lost one of their last eight league games, which was against league leaders Sporting Lisbon back in mid-December.

Porto's 42-goal tally is the second-best in the league this season, three behind Sporting, while their defensive record is also impeccable, with just 12 goals conceded after 18 matches. Only Benfica have conceded fewer over the same period (11).

While the Dragons have failed to win their last two away games, they will know that this is the perfect opportunity to cut the gap to Benfica and Sporting, both of whom are only scheduled to play on Monday night.

SC Farense Primeira Liga form:

D

D

L

W

L

W

Porto Primeira Liga form:

W

L

W

D

W

W

Team News

Jhon Velasquez made a return to the Farense's squad last week, albeit as an unused substitute, after a lengthy period on the sideline and will be in contention for a starting 11 spot this weekend.

In terms of absentees, Ze Luis has missed the last nine matches for The Lions of Faro due to a broken collarbone, and he is expected to remain on the treatment table for the foreseeable future.

Porto, on the other hand, will have to make do with the services of Ivan Marcano, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season due to a serious ACL injury.

Gabriel Veron is back in training after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, while Mehdi Taremi and Zaidu Sanusi are away from the squad on international duty with Iran and Nigeria, respectively.

SC Farense possible starting lineup:

Velho; Pastor, Silva, Muscat, Talocha; Falcao, Goncalves; Matias, Mattheus, Balde; Duarte

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Mario, Pepe, Cardoso, Wendell; Conceicao, Eustaquio, Varela, Galeno; Pepe, Evanilson

We say: SC Farense 1-3 Porto

While Farense have been impressive this season, they have struggled against the league's big-hitters and their historical record in this contest does not bode well for their chances.

Porto will know the importance of securing the points in this one, and we fancy them to get the job done fairly comfortably.

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