Porto will travel to Estoril Praia hoping to book a quarterfinal spot in the Taca de Portugal. Four weeks ago, the teams played in the Taca da Liga, when the Dragoes lost 3-1. Now, they will try to get even with the hosts and win their first game of the year.
Preview (Estoril Praia vs. Porto)
Sporting Lisbon crushed Estoril Praia 5-1 in the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Friday. It prevents them from having a fantastic start to the new year. The hosts were led to all three points by English winger Marcus Edwards. He scored a brace in the first half, and in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres, finished with a hat-trick of assists. Before that, Estoril had won three of their four games without a loss. They drew one and defeated Porto 3-1 when the teams faced off in Group D of the Taca da Liga.
But now, Estoril goes back home, where they have won their past five games, allowing only twice and scoring 17 goals since a 1-0 loss to Benfica on October 7. However, in their Primeira Liga matchup at the Estadio do Bessa on Friday, Porto was unable to make it five straight wins over Boavista, as the two teams were held to a 1-1 stalemate. After Tony Martinez gave the Dragoes the lead in the 23rd minute, Bruno Lourenco equalized five minutes later, and Os Axadrezados produced a defensive clinic to seal the draw.
With 35 points after 16 games, Porto is currently in third place in the Primeira Liga standings. They are five points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon as a result of this outcome. The team led by Sergio Conceicao will now focus on the Taca de Portugal. Five weeks before crushing Montalegre 4-0 in the second round, the team opened the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Vilar Perdizes on October 20. In Tuesday’s match, Porto will go to the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota. They had won six times and drawn five times in their previous twelve visits. December’s cup loss was the lone loss.
Team News
The Uruguayan defender Eric Cabaco, who hasn’t played since last September due to a muscle ailment, will not be available for Estoril Praia. Apart from that, the hosts are healthy going into the match, allowing Saebra to have a fully loaded-roster at his disposal. The starting lineup that was destroyed 5-1 by Sporting is likely to see some alterations under the Portuguese head coach. The starting lineup is expected to include the seasoned Cassiano and former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala.
However, Ivan Marcano, a seasoned defender who has been out since suffering an ACL injury back in September, is still unavailable for Porto. The 29-year-old goalkeeper Samuel Portugal, who is presently recovering from a groin issue, joins him on the Dragoes injury table. The offensive tandem of Gabriel Veron and Fran Navarro, who just joined Cruzeiro and Olympiacos, respectively, will also be unavailable for Conceicao to name.
Estoril Praia 1-2 Porto
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