Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Primeira Liga clash between Porto and Arouca, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Porto‘s attempt to keep pace with Primeira Liga-topping Sporting Lisbon sees them host Arouca in Sunday’s gameweek seven match-up at Estadio do Dragao.
Vitor Bruno‘s troops trail Ruben Amorim‘s side by three points and aim to at least maintain that deficit against a club they failed to defeat last term.
Match preview
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Despite falling to a loss in their Europa League opener against Bodo/Glimt midweek, Porto seek a return to winning ways on home soil this weekend, keen to avoid slipping further behind Sporting in the early-season Liga standings.
Bruno’s men have only been defeated by the defending champions in the Portuguese top flight in 2024-25, a 2-0 reverse in Lisbon that remains the Dragons’ only league blemish this term.
While they could fall six points adrift before taking to the field on Sunday, with Amorim’s side favourites to beat Estoril on Friday, Porto are expected to notch a sixth league triumph in seven gameweeks to return to winning ways after the 3-2 continental reverse.
Nevertheless, the home side will be wary of a side that nicked four points from an available six against them in the 2023-24 campaign, notably securing a point in last season’s corresponding fixture in September 2023 (1-1) before stunning the 30-time top-flight champions 3-2 in Aveiro seven months back.
Porto had secured seven consecutive victories against Arouca in all competitions before last term’s outcomes, and they aim to return to the previous pattern after 23-24’s anomalous results.
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The away side are in indifferent form heading into this weekend, even if maximum points were secured in round six with a 1-0 success at Farense.
Alfonso Trezza was the match-winner a week back to end Lobos’ three-match losing road sequence and five without success on their travels, and they seek consecutive away triumphs for the first time since notching 2-1 wins at Estoril and Portimonense at the start of 2024.
That remains to be seen given this fixture’s usual pattern and Arouca losing four of their six top-flight games this season heading into Sunday’s meeting.
Although success could send the 14th-placed club into the league’s top half, a negative result could see Gonzalo Garcia‘s men slide into the relegation playoff spot if promoted Nacional beat Famalicao on the road and Boavista in 15th get the better of in-form Santa Clara.
Porto Primeira Liga form:
Porto form (all competitions):
Arouca Primeira Liga form:
Team News
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Samu Omorodion scored on his Europa League debut despite Porto losing, and the summer arrival from Atletico Madrid aims to score for the fourth match running after finding the net against Farense and Vitoria de Guimaraes (twice) before Wednesday.
Ivan Marcano and Zaidu Sanusi are long-term absentees for the Dragons due to knee injuries while Fabio Vieira is unavailable because of a muscle complaint.
Arouca have had three goalscorers this term — David Simao, Henrique Araujo and Trezza — and may have to find their fourth goal from a new source given the absence of a recognised prolific forward.
The away side’s ambition is doubly difficult given the injuries to Araujo, with Eboue Kouassi, Matias Rocha, Quaresma, Pedro Moreira, Oriol Busquets, Vitinho and Nino Galovic anticipated to miss out at Porto.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pedro, Perez, Moura; Eustaquio, Varela; Pepe, Gonzalez, Galeno; Omorodion
Arouca possible starting lineup:
Mantl; Esgaio, Lamba, Fontan, Dante; Fukui, Simao; Rodrigues, Trezza, Sylla; Yalcin
We say: Porto 3-0 Arouca
Despite what might have played out in the previous season, Porto are backed to inflict Arouca’s fifth league loss this term to pile more misery on an injury-afflicted opponent and record their fifth consecutive top-flight victory at the Dragao since the backend of last season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.