Fresh off the back of another cup victory in their latest unbeaten run, Porto are in Taca da Liga action on Wednesday night when they play host to Pacos de Ferreira at the Estadio Do Dragao.
The Portuguese giants are unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions, winning eight, whereas their opponents Pacos are simply looking to bring an end to a run of back-to-back defeats.
Match preview
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Recovering from a sluggish start to the campaign, Porto are now flying high on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, sealing their qualification to the Champions League knockout stages in the process.
After victories against Olympiacos in the Champions League and Tondela in the Taca de Portugal, Porto, third in Liga NOS, are hoping to make it three cup victories on the trot when Pacos arrive at their stadium.
The early stages of that tie with Tondela saw a glut of goals in the opening half-hour with the two teams tied after 20 minutes, only for the acrobatic striking abilities of Moussa Marega to seal a 2-1 victory for Porto shortly after Tondela equalised.
There was further joy for Porto on Monday when the Champions League draw paired them with Italian champions Juventus in the round of 16, with belief growing that they could beat the Old Lady of Turin.
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Sixth in Liga Nos, Pacos de Ferreira had been on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions before slumping to defeat in dramatic circumstances in a league match away to Benfica 10 days ago.
The visitors stunningly took the lead when Oleg Reabciuk blasted in a volley from outside the box in the first half, only for a Benfica goal after the break to force Pacos to spend the match in retreat before an inevitable home winner came in the 94th minute of the contest.
Facing a gauntlet of traditional Portuguese powers, Sporting Lisbon were the next side to give Pacos a kicking, picking up a convincing 3-0 home win in the Taca de Portugal over the weekend.
With no previous victories in their last 18 visits to Porto, a trip against Sergio Conceicao's team is the last thing that Pacos need right now, having failed to win seven of their most recent nine away games in all competitions.
Porto form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Pacos de Ferreira form (all competitions): WWWWLL
Team News
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Two defensive veterans will be missing for Porto with both Pepe and Ivan Marcano absent through injury, the former being a much more important member of the first team than the latter.
With the club's progress to the last 16 of the Champions League and the fixture overload that results from that success, Sergio Conceicao may decide to rotate his team for this match.
Pacos de Ferreira should be without significant absentees, the only players ruled out ahead of time being right-back Jorge Silva and left-back David Sualehe.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mbemba, Sarr, Leite, Diaz; Mario, Baro, Grujic; Corona, Marega, Martinez
Pacos de Ferreira possible starting lineup:
Jordi; Baixinho, Marcelo, Fonseca, Reabciuk; Carlos, Diaby, Amaral; Eustaquio, Tanque, Uilton
We say: Porto 2-0 Pacos de Ferreira
Pacos de Ferreira recorded a league win over Porto last month, so their ability to step up to the challenge of a title contender should not be overlooked. Yet, the form of Porto coupled with the slump that Pacos have hit leaves us thinking that the home side will add to the woes of their guests.
