Preview: Porto vs. Pacos de Ferreira - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh off the back of a disappointing 5-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Porto play host to Pacos de Ferreira at the Estadio do Dragao on Saturday.

The visitors head into the game on a run of three consecutive draws in the Primeira Liga and will be looking to bring an end to this dry spell.

Match preview

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Following an emphatic 5-0 home victory over Moreirense, Porto made it two wins from two games last Friday as they edged out Gil Vicente 2-1 at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos.

Samuel Lino restored parity midway through the first half after Mehdi Taremi put the visitors in front in the ninth minute, but Sergio Oliveira struck the winner in the 89th minute to condemn the Gilistas to a third defeat in five games.

However, Porto failed to carry on their momentum into the Champions League and were sent crashing down to earth by English heavyweights Liverpool, who claimed a 5-1 victory when they faced off in Portugal four days later.

Mohamed Salah maintained his fine goalscoring form as he netted either side of Sadio Mane's 45th-minute strike to put the Reds in a commanding three-goal lead, and after Taremi pulled one back for the hosts in the 74th minute, substitute Roberto Firmino put the icing on the cake as he scored twice in four-minute spell to hand Jurgen Klopp's men an emphatic win.

Sergio Conceicao's side now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga where they have begun their quest to unseat reigning champions Sporting Lisbon on a good note following an impressive run of results.

They are currently level on 17 points with the Leoes in the upper echelons of the league table after seven rounds of matches, and this has been owing to the solid job at both ends of the pitch.

Porto, who have allowed just four goals through their net this season, also boast the league's second-best attacking record with 16 goals scored, only behind high-flying Benfica's 19.

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Pacos de Ferreira, on the other hand, bottled a two-goal lead at the Estadio Capital do Movel where they played out a 2-2 draw with struggling Belenenses last time out.

Nuno Santos and Helder Ferreira scored inside the first 20 minutes to hand Os Castores a 2-0 lead heading into the interval, but Belenenses upped the ante and were in the ascendency following the break as Alioune Ndour and Safira scored 16 minutes apart to force a draw.

This was the second consecutive game in which Pacos de Ferreira failed to protect their lead after Boavista came from behind to claim a 2-1 win when the sides squared off in Group C of the Taca da Liga last Tuesday.

However, Jorge Simao's men head into Saturday's game unbeaten in their last four league outings, picking up one win and three draws, and the Portuguese manager will feel upbeat about his side's chances of replicating last season's performance, where they secured an impressive fifth-placed finish.

Saturday's visitors are currently eighth on the log with nine points from seven games and while they will be looking to strengthen their position in the table, they face the daunting task of facing an opposing side who have won 14 of the last 18 meetings between the teams, including each of their last two encounters.

Team News

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Having missed the opening seven games through injury, first-choice goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin returned from the sidelines as an unused substitute against Liverpool and the Argentine could come in for his first appearance of the season this weekend.

Chancel Mbemba, who missed Tuesday's game against Liverpool through suspension, should also return to the starting XI, meaning we could see a centre-back pairing of the 27-year-old and Ivan Marcano for the third consecutive league game.

However, Conceicao will be unable to call upon the services of veteran defender Pepe, who has missed the last three games after coming off injured midway through their Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid.

Luis Diaz and Mehdi Taremi currently sit at the top of the Primeira Liga scoring chart with five and four goals respectively, and we expect the duo, who have been pivotal in Porto's solid start to the season, to once again handle the business at the attacking end of the pitch.

Pacos de Ferreira, meanwhile, will still have to cope without Portuguese defender Fernando Fonseca, who picked up an injury against Braga three weeks ago.

Fellow defender Joao Vigario is also out of contention for Os Castores after sustaining a knee injury against second-tier Larne in August's Conference League qualification game.

Helder Ferreira returned from a one-match ban to put on a solid individual performance last time out when he grabbed one goal and an assist and we expect the 24-year-old to team up with the trio of Denilson, Nuno Santos and Lucas Silva in attack.

Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Corona, Mbemba, Marcano, Wendell; Otavio, Oliveira, Grujic; Diaz, Taremi, Martinez

Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; Silva, Ramos, Maracas, Antunes; Eustaquio, Carlos; Ferreira, Santos, Silva; Denilson

We say: Porto 2-0 Pacos de Ferreira

Following a humbling home loss to Liverpool, Conceicao will demand an immediate reaction from his side this weekend. They take on a Pacos de Ferreira side who are currently struggling to impose themselves defensively and we predict they will claim all three points as they boast a significantly superior squad heading into the game.

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