Porto start the season at home where the defending champions will be eager to make a statement. Alverca have lost their manager and with a weak midfield, I am expecting a comfortable win for the hosts.
HTH - Dragons Unbeaten
Porto have never lost against Alverca, leading 9-0 alongside three draws.
Porto the Defending Champions
Porto dominated Liga Portugal last season, winning the title in Francesco Farioli’s first campaign in charge. They were impressive defensively, conceding only 18 goals in 34 games.
The Dragons began the campaign by beating Torreense 1-0 to claim the Super Cup. Victor Froholdt’s first half goal was the difference, Farioli’s side ending with 3-0 big chances in Coimbra.
Alverca Aiming for Survival
Alverca had an impressive campaign after earning promotion, finishing 11th and never involved in relegation discussions. They ended with a -17 goal difference however, averaging one goal a game.
This season could be tougher with manager Custódio Castro leaving and replaced by Sergio Ferreira.
The Lisbon club won six of their seven preseason matches, the highlight a 2-0 victory over Estoril.
Predicted Lineups & Team News
Porto (4-3-3) Diogo Costa; Martim Fernandes, Nehuén Pérez, Jakub Kiwior, Zaidu Sanusi; Victor Froholdt, Alan Varela, Gabri Veiga; William Gomes, André Silva, Pepe
Jan Bednarek picked up a minor knee injury in the Super Cup which could see Nehuén Pérez start in central defence. Alberto Costa is dealing with a knock and set to be replaced by Martim Fernandes.
Pablo Rosario and Alan Varela compete for the holding midfield role. Oskar Pietuszewski waits for a chance to start out wide with William Gomes most likely to make way.
Striker Samu Aghehowa is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and expected back in November.
Alverca (3-4-3) Matheus Mendes; Steven Baseya, Sergi Gomez, Bastien Meupiyou; Diogo Spencer, Davy Gui, Ian Luccas, Francisco Chissumba; Figueiredo, Vivaldo Semedo, Chiquinho
Julián Martínez has a meniscus injury and Sabit Abdulai is dealing with a knee injury.
Noah Raveyre was signed from French club Pau to compete with goalkeeper Matheus Mendes.
The main signings are midfielder Ian Luccas and striker Vivaldo Semedo. Influential centre-back Kaiky Naves was sold to Nexaca and midfielder Lincoln moved to Bursaspor for €2m.