Preview: Porto vs. Famalicao - prediction, team news, lineups

Thursday will see the second leg of the Taca de Portugal semi-final take place as Porto and Famalicao look to book themselves a place against Braga.

The Dragons head into this match with a 2-1 lead following their victory last week, but the visitors will be sure to push them all the way.

Match preview

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Porto might be lagging behind Benfica in the Primeira Liga title race, but they still have the chance to retain the Taca de Portugal.

Last season the Dragons claimed the trophy with dominant performances in the competition, and that is something they will be aiming to replicate this time around.

Sergio Conceicao's men were impressive in the first leg of this match as goals from Ivan Marcano and Toni Martinez granted them a 2-1 lead heading into the second leg.

That was followed by a 1-0 victory at the weekend in the league when they faced Boavista, stretching their current undefeated streak to 10 games in all competitions.

Continuing that momentum could book them a place in the final, with Braga already waiting for whichever team is able to progress in this match.

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The visitors might be the underdogs heading into this one, but with just a single goal between the two teams there is plenty for them to fight for.

Despite that, Famalicao have struggled against Porto this season as their previous meeting in the league saw them suffer a 4-1 loss.

An improved performance will be required this time around for Joao Sousa's men as they suffered another defeat at the weekend when facing Sporting Lisbon.

A big issue for Famalicao this season has been defensively when it comes to their away performances, and if that is not addressed then this could be as far as the team progresses in the competition.

Considering they were knocked out in the fifth round last season, there is already a clear improvement, but with just 90 minutes between them and the final falling short at this hurdle is something the team will be hoping to avoid.

Team News

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Joao Mario has been missing lately for Porto due to a muscle injury, and that means that Pepe could end up being accompanied by Fabio Cardoso at the back for this one.

However, the Dragons were able to feature Otavio last time out which was a positive after he came off injured in the first leg, which means he should find himself in the team once again.

Jose Luis Rodriguez has been a long-term injury problem for the visitors, and it is unlikely that he will end up being brought back in at this point.

One man who should be part of the Famalicao lineup is Jhonder Cadiz, as he is expected to be leading the line this time around.

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Manafa, Pepe, Cardosa, Wendell; Otavio, Pepe, Uribe, Galeno; Taremi, Martinez

Famalicao possible starting lineup:

Junior; Aguirregabiria, Mihaj, Otavio, Moura; Youssouf, Assuncao, Colombatto; Dobre, Cadiz, Jaime

We say: Porto 2-0 Famalicao (Porto to win 4-1 on aggregate)

With just a single goal between them from the first leg, there is very little to split the teams heading into this one, which promises to be closely contested.

However, while Famalicao will be sure to provide a stern test for their opponents, it is likely that Porto will have too much quality in this match.

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