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

Looking to record consecutive top-flight wins for the first time in over three years, Tondela welcome leaders Porto to Estadio Joao Cardoso for a Primeira Liga battle on Sunday night.

Auriverdes picked up a narrow triumph on the road to conclude their November schedule last time out, whilst Dragoes have already started their December duties, suffering a rare defeat on home soil.

Match preview

Following a three-year absence from the top division of Portuguese football, Tondela lifted the second-tier title by just a single point in the spring, with Sunday night's hosts now facing an almighty task in keeping their heads above water in the Primeira Liga.

Auriverdes' quest for top-flight survival was given a major boost last Saturday afternoon, when three-strike midfielder Pedro Henryque held his nerve from the penalty spot to secure a 1-0 success at Gil Vicente.

Ending a five-game winless run across all competitions last weekend, Tondela have moved up to 16th spot in the Primeira Liga standings ahead of Sunday's daunting clash with the leaders, level on points with Casa Pia in the relative safety of 15th.

Providing little reason for optimism ahead of this weekend, Auriverdes are one of three sides in the division who are yet to experience victory on home soil this term, with Tondela collecting just two points from five matches at Estadio Joao Cardoso.

Netting a mere seven strikes across 12 Primeira Liga contests to date, Cristiano Bacci's troops are the lowest goalscorers in the 18-club cohort, despite having former Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ivan Cavaleiro to call upon.

Following a flawless four-game winning run to conclude November, Porto commenced their festive fixture list with a shocking result in the Portuguese League Cup, with the giants exiting the competition at the hands of mid-table dwellers Vitoria de Guimaraes.

Now with one less chance to add to their glistening trophy cabinet, Dragoes will be focusing on the plenty of positives enjoyed since the beginning of the season under Italian boss Francesco Farioli, who has lost just two of his 20 competitive matches in charge.

Joining rivals Benfica as the only two clubs in the division yet to be conquered at the 12-game mark, Sunday's visitors are sitting pretty at the very summit of the Primeira Liga rankings, three points above second-placed Sporting Lisbon.

Dropping points just once at home to Benfica at the beginning of October, Dragoes boast a 100% away record in the top flight, collecting 18 points and scoring a staggering 14 goals across six outings so far.

With Borja Sainz walking down the less-trodden path from England to Portugal over the summer, there are a number of Porto stars who could be soon making the Spaniard's journey in reverse, with Samu Aghehowa and Victor Froholdt linked with Premier League clubs.

Tondela Primeira Liga form:

W L L D L W

Tondela form (all competitions):

L L D L L W

Porto Primeira Liga form:

W D W W W W

Porto form (all competitions):

D W W W W L

Team News

After keeping a solid clean sheet last time out, Tondela should stick with a centre-back pairing of Brayan Medina and Christian Marques.

Auriverdes could make some alterations on the flanks, though, with Moudjatovic potentially dropping out of the XI to make room for two-time Championship winner Cavaleiro.

Porto are faring well on the injury front as the festive period arrives, although defender Nehuen Perez remains sidelined because of a tendon issue.

Scoring three goals in as many appearances since November 27, Gabri Veiga has made a strong case to start his eighth Primeira Liga game of the term.

Making an error that led to a Vitoria goal earlier in the week, midfielder Alan Varela is likely to be on the bench this weekend.

Tondela possible starting lineup:

Fontes; Bebeto, Marques, Medina, Maviram; Henryque, Rodriguez, Sithole, Cavaleiro; Felix, Pefok

Porto possible starting lineup:

D Costa; A Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Sanusi; Froholdt, Veiga, Rosario; Gomes, Sainz, Aghehowa

We say: Tondela 0-1 Porto

Despite their winless start to the campaign at home, Tondela are rarely smashed on their own patch, conceding seven goals across five matches.

Therefore, we could see Porto struggle to ease clear of the hosts in the contest, although the Dragons are certainly good enough to grab a seventh consecutive away success.

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