Gil Vicente vs Porto

After a poor beginning to the year, Porto will be praying for a better campaign when they play their round 18 Primera Liga match at Gil Vicente The Blue and Whites have won only one of their fixtures this new year, and they were knocked out of Taca da Liga on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Sporting Lisbon.

Coming off a 2024 calendar year winning streak four unique competitions, more significantly the league, Porto shaped for a similar early start in the new year but for a League Cup upset by Sporting.

To avoid being stopped dead by that reversal, the Dragons headed into the last Sunday’s Primera Liga match with an aim of closing the gameweek atop the standings after Sporting missed 4-4 to Vitoria de Guimaraes on the previous weekend.

Porto could also have suffered an even worse defeat than most of their title rivals, as Dudu and Ze Vitor scored in the first half to inflict defeat on Andre Villas-Boas’s side and halt their run of six consecutive league games without a loss.

That loss now places them at the second-last position on forty-three points, just one point behind Sporting, who occupies the coveted number one spot on the table.

Aiming, thus, to answer with a triumph as they seek to bolster their title endeavours, Porto will head to the duel with confidence buoyed by their prior record on enemy territory, with Estadio Cidade de Barcelos having hosted three of Porto’s last four wins in the division, though their final visit will have seen them, perhaps unsurprisingly, get a 1-1 draw.

Azuis e Brancos have been excellent both going forward and in defence – their 40 goals scored in the season is the second best record in the division, helped by a mean-looking solid defence which has let in only 11 goals – the joint second best in the league, so they will be hoping for more of the same this weekend.

In contrast, Gil Vicente defeated Moreirense 1-0 in Taca de Portugal to go to the next round and extend their unbeaten streak in all competitions to six games.

The Roosters have played out draws in the last three games, including a goalless draw with Sporting and back-to-back 1-1 victories against Arouca and Rio Ave. Five of those games have taken place in the league.

They are currently four points ahead of the relegation playoff slot after that run of draws, and they will try to increase that margin this weekend.

After holding Porto to a draw in their recent clash at Barcelos, the hosts are now aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats in home games against the Dragons for the first time since 2012.

Sphephelo Sithole is still sidelined as he recovers from a ligament injury, with no specific return date in sight.

Manager Bruno Pinheiro is likely to keep the same starting lineup for the third consecutive league match, with Jorge Aguirre leading the attack once more.

For Porto, Ivan Marcano, who has been out for over a year due to an ACL injury, is fit again but remains uncertain for Sunday’s match.

On the injury front, Francisco Moura, Marko Grujić, and Wendell will miss the game, while Nico Gonzalez is back in the squad after serving a suspension. Samu Omorodion, who didn’t score in the loss to Nacional, will be eager to get back on the scoresheet.