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

Porto resume from the international break with a fourth-round Taca de Portugal meeting against fourth-division outfit Sintrense at Estadio do Dragao on Saturday.

The Dragons eased past Celoricense with a 4-0 win in the previous phase and now seek to move a step nearer to reclaiming the silverware.

Match preview

The second most decorated team in the Taca de Portugal - only behind Benfica (25) - Porto are targeting a 21st crown after lifting four of the last six editions.

Last season ended in disappointment for the Dragons, who exited the competition at this same stage following a 2-1 defeat to Moreirense, but it is almost impossible to envisage Francesco Farioli’s side suffering a similar fate this time.

Porto have enjoyed an excellent 2025-26 campaign to this point, recording 13 victories from 16 fixtures across all competitions (D2, L1), including a 1-0 success against Famalicao in the league just before the break.

A tidy finish by Victor Froholdt in the 36th minute settled matters at Vila Nova, leaving the Blue and Whites three points clear at the summit of the Primeira Liga.

Chasing every remaining domestic honour remains a realistic ambition, with the Dragons also firmly in contention in the Taca da Liga, where Vitoria de Guimaraes await in December for a place in the final four against Sporting Lisbon.

Porto’s Europa League journey has also been decent, with the side sitting just one point from the automatic qualification slot, and next week’s home tie with Nice offers a chance to improve their standing.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s game provides another platform to strengthen momentum at the Dragao, where the Blue and Whites have won five of their six matches this season (D1).

On the other hand, Sintrense have managed two victories from five away outings this term (D1, L2), including a 1-0 success over Industria last time out that snapped a four-game wait for a win in the Campeonato de Portugal and lifted them to ninth in Group D.

The Sintra club’s Portuguese Cup run deserves praise after upsetting second-tier side Vizela (2-1) before edging top-flight outfit Rio Ave (3-2).

David Maside’s team overturned deficits in both contests, but the fourth-division side know their best chance in this encounter lies in a sharp start, given Porto have won every match in which they opened the scoring this season.

History provides little in the way of optimism for Sintrense, who lost both previous editions of this fixture, having suffered a 5-0 defeat in the Portuguese Cup in 2021 before falling 3-0 when the sides met again last term.

Porto Taca de Portugal form:

Porto form (all competitions):

Sintrense Taca de Portugal form:

Sintrense form (all competitions):

Team News

Porto are expected to remain without centre-back Nehuen Perez and striker Luuk de Jong, while Jan Bednarek is also sidelined after being forced off in their most recent outing.

Claudio Ramos should be back in goal as he did in the previous round, meaning first-choice goalkeeper Diogo Costa is likely to be rested.

Deniz Gul could lead the line here and will enter this assignment in confident mood after a productive international break with Turkey, having found the net against Spain in the World Cup qualifiers, so Samu Omorodion could start from the bench.

Sintrense may again be without midfielder Diogo Castro and left-back Joao Varudo, both of whom have missed several weeks, while attacker Henrique Henriques remains doubtful after sitting out the last two games.

Valdumar, who struck the winner in their previous match and has hit three goals across the last two Portuguese Cup rounds, will look to make an impression against the club he faced on his senior debut in 2018 while representing Vitoria Setubal.

Porto possible starting lineup:

C Ramos; A Costa, Kiwior, Prpic, F Moura; Froholdt, Varela; Sainz, Veiga, Pepe; Gul

Sintrense possible starting lineup:

Santos; Guerra, Carvalho, R Luis, Cruz; A Silva, Mariano, Lacerda, Pipas, Varela; Valdumar

We say: Porto 3-0 Sintrense

Sintrense have been impressive in this competition, but Porto represent a far greater challenge than their earlier opponents.

A comfortable home victory is expected, especially with the Dragons having recorded clean sheets in 10 of their 16 matches across all competitions this season.

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