Preview: Porto vs AVS - prediction, team news, lineups

First meets worst in Primeira Liga’s final match of 2025, as table-topping Porto play host to basement side AVS at Estadio do Dragao on Monday night.

The Dragons are currently five points clear at the Portuguese top-flight summit but could see that gap reduced before kicking a ball, with second-placed Sporting Lisbon taking on Rio Ave a day earlier.

Match preview

Boasting what may be the outright best record across Europe’s higher-ranked leagues, Porto have been close to flawless in the Primeira Liga this season, recording 14 victories in 15 matches (D1).

Francesco Farioli’s men have dropped points only against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the top-flight campaign, and since that goalless draw in O Classico on October 5, the Dragons have gone on to win seven consecutive league games.

The most recent of those victories came in straightforward fashion, as the leaders put three unanswered goals past Alverca in Ribatejo, courtesy of a Borja Sainz brace either side of Alan Varela’s 57th-minute strike.

That success means Porto have now won nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 victory over Malmo to maintain a top-eight position in the Europa League standings and a comfortable Taca de Portugal win over Famalicao to reach the quarter-finals; the only setback in that run was a 3-1 home defeat to Vitoria Guimaraes in the Allianz Cup.

Thoughts of another upset at the Dragao on Monday are unlikely to linger among supporters of the Blue and Whites, who may instead focus on how convincing the performance could be, with the previous two meetings against AVS ending in 5-0 and 2-0 victories, suggesting another chance to extend their league-high tally of 11 clean sheets.

Indeed, AVS have struggled at both ends of the pitch, with no side conceding more than the 39 goals they have shipped, while only one team have scored fewer than their return of 11.

The Vila das Aves outfit have endured a torrid start to their second season in the top flight, losing 11 of their opening 15 fixtures and remaining the only side yet to register a win in the division.

That unwanted record could have been brought to an end last time out, as AVS surrendered a two-goal advantage to settle for a 2-2 draw against Nacional at Estadio do CD Aves in Joao Henriques’s first match in charge.

Despite that setback, supporters can take some encouragement from their side having now avoided defeat in back-to-back games, with a Taca de Portugal victory at Vitoria preceding the draw, and they may allow themselves faint hope of an unlikely result here as the bottom-placed side look to close a nine-point gap to safety.

Porto Primeira Liga form:

Porto form (all competitions):

AVS Primeira Liga form:

AVS form (all competitions):

Team News

Despite his brace last time out, Sainz will not feature in this encounter after picking up his fifth booking of the league campaign, though Jan Bednarek returns after serving his own suspension against Alverca.

Other expected absentees include striker Luuk de Jong, who is set to miss an extended period due to a knee injury, while centre-back Nehuen Perez continues his recovery from an Achilles tendon rupture and Tomas Perez also remains sidelined.

Meanwhile, Zaidu Sanusi is unavailable, as he is away on international duty with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

AVS will be without centre-back Ruben Semedo, who is suspended after receiving a red card in the draw against Nacional.

Guillem Molina remains sidelined through injury, while Tiago Hernandez could miss a second successive match due to fitness concerns, with Ponck also a doubt after being absent from the previous outing.

Tunde Akinsola has scored in consecutive games and will again be relied upon to provide a spark from wide areas, while Tomane is expected to retain his place up front after also finding the net last time out.

Porto possible starting lineup:

D Costa; A Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Moura; Froholdt, Varela, Mora; Pepe, Samu, Gomes

AVS possible starting lineup:

Goncalves; Spencer, Devenish, Santos, Vitor, Kiki; Perea, P Lima, Grau, Akinsola; Tomane

We say: Porto 3-0 AVS

Whether Porto will take maximum points here is scarcely in doubt, with the focus instead on how many goals they might score, having won their last two matches by margins of three, and a similar outcome is expected against struggling opposition.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.