Looking to end their run of five consecutive games without a win across all competitions, Gil Vicente play host to Porto at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos on Saturday.
The reigning champions head into the weekend off the back of a shock defeat against newly-promoted Rio Ave and will be looking to quickly bounce back to winning ways.
Match preview
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Gil Vicente failed to find their feet last Monday as they bottled a two-goal lead before settling for a 2-2 draw with Vizela when the sides met at the Estadio do FC Vizela.
The Gilistas ran two goals up inside the opening half hour courtesy of Fran Navarro and Juan Manuel Boselli, but Kiko Bondoso and Anderson scored in first-half injury time to level matters and force a share of the spoils.
Ivo Vieira's men have now failed to taste victory in five consecutive games across all competitions — a run which saw them fail to qualify for the Europa Conference League courtesy of a disappointing 6-1 aggregate defeat against AZ Alkmaar in the playoffs.
However, Gil Vicente now return to their home turf where they are unbeaten in 10 of their 11 Primeira Liga games this year — picking up five wins and six draws — with April's 2-1 loss against Moreirense being the only exception.
While they will be looking to return to winning ways and get their season back on track, their next task tees them up against a Porto side who are unbeaten in 17 of the last 19 meetings between the teams, claiming 14 wins and three draws in that time.
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Sergio Canceicao's men suffered one of the shocks of the gameweek as they were on the receiving end of 3-1 defeat against newly-promoted Rio Ave at the Estadio dos Arcos last Sunday.
The hosts simply outclassed the reigning champions, who found themselves three goals down heading into half time courtesy of a brace from Aziz and Pedro Amaral's 33rd-minute strike before substitute Toni Martinez grabbed a consolation goal in the 93rd minute.
Porto were previously on a blistering 11-game winning streak across all competitions — a run which stretches back to April's 1-0 loss against Braga and saw them clinch the Taca de Portugal and Portuguese Super Cup titles respectively.
The Dragoes have now picked up three wins and lost one of their opening four games of their league title defence to sit third in the table, three points off first-placed Benfica, who are the only side with a 100% record this season.
Porto follow Saturday's game with their highly-anticipated Champions League Group B curtain-raiser against Atletico Madrid on September 7 and will aim to pick up a morale-booster ahead of their clash with the La Liga outfit.
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Team News
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Gil Vicente will take to the pitch without Brazilian Murilo de Souza after the 27-year-old picked up an ACL injury in January's game against Boavista.
Stanislav Kritsyuk will also play no part in this weekend's encounter as the former Zenit St. Petersburg goalkeeper continues his long road to full fitness after sustaining a knee injury last November.
Newly-signed defender Lucas Barros is yet to make his debut following his move from Brazilian outfit Covilha, and the 23-year-old defender is another name on the Gilistas injury list.
Meanwhile, Porto will be without the services of former Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off with a muscle problem against Vizela on August 14.
Portuguese defender Wilson Manafa is also out of contention for the league champions as the 28-year-old continues his spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe injury last December.
Martinez staked his claim for a starting role with his fine cameo against Rio Ave and the Spanish striker could come into the XI for the first time this season, potentially at the expense of Evanilson or Mehdi Taremi.
Gil Vicente possible starting lineup:
Andrew; Veiga, Ferrugem, Fernandes, Marin; Carvalho, Boselli, Aburjania; Fujimoto, Medina, Navarro
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Marcano, Sanusi; Otavio, Costa, Uribe, Pepe; Martinez, Taremi
We say: Gil Vicente 0-3 Porto
Off the back of a shock defeat, Porto will head into the weekend desperate to restore some price and set the pace for the Champions League clash. Conceicao's side have been imperious in the history of this fixture and we are backing them to make light work of the floundering Gil Vicente side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
