Porto vs Sporting CP Preview & Prediction | 2023-24 Taca de Portugal | Final
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In what has been an underwhelming season for Porto this year, the Dragons have an excellent chance to finish their season with a bit of a flourish by robbing Sporting CP of a domestic double.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Sunday 26th May, 2024 – UK – 17:15 / US EST – 12:15 / US PST – 10:15
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: This match will not be televised in the UK. / This match will not be televised in the US.
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: This match will not be streamed live in the UK. / This match will not be streamed live in the US.
PORTO PREVIEW: RE-ALIGMENT OF THE CLUB
FC Porto have undergone change off the field in the last few weeks with long-term club president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa being replaced after 42 years by former manager Andre Villas-Boas. Villas-Boas has stuck by Sergio Conceicao but there is a feeling that the gnarled former Portugal international will need to improve results and style in order to continue his seven-year stint.
Porto finished third and outside of the two UEFA Champions League spots in the Primeira Liga but have been improved pretty much ever since defeating Arsenal by a goal to nil in the first-leg of their Round of 16 tie. There is a convoluted way in which they still qualify for Europe’s elite club competition but that will require the reader to do some googling on the situation in Serie A.
SPORTING CP PREVIEW: THE RUBEN AMORIM EXPERIENCE
Before Ruben Amorim arrived at the Jose Alvalade, Sporting hadn’t won the league in nearly 20 years. Just a few years later, they have won two of the last four Portuguese league titles and romped home this time around, humiliating their Lisbon rivals Benfica in the title race as well as in the semi-finals of the Taca de Portugal.
Ruben Amorim, who has been heavily linked with the likes of West Ham United, Chelsea and Liverpool, has created a new generation of Sporting stars, led by prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres, playing an entertaining style of football that saw them score 96 goals in 34 league games and mark themselves out as a great side of Portuguese football history.
PORTO TEAM NEWS: STILL MISSING SANUSI
As has been the case since the early spring, Porto are only dealing with one injury concern for this weekend with defender Zaidu Sanusi out with an ACL injury. Young full-back Martim Fernandes looks set to be trusted at right-back as he was last weekend away at Braga.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Costa; Fernandes, Pepe, Otavio, Wendell; Varela, Nico Gonzalez; Conceicao, Pepe, Galeno; Evanilson
UNAVAILABLE: Sanusi (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
SPORTING CP TEAM NEWS: NO NEWS TO REPORT
Sporting CP remain without back-up goalkeeper Franco Israel but aside from that they will head into the final able to select from a fully fit and available squad. The big decision will be whether to play Marcus Edwards from the start of go with the currently trusted Francisco Trincao.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-3): Diogo Pinto; Neto, Sebastian Coates, Inacio; Esgaio; Hjulmand, Morita, Santos; Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves
UNAVAILABLE: Franco srael (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
PORTO VS SPORTING CP PREDICTION
These two played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Dragao in the league last month and the signs are that Sergio Conceicao has begin to get his Porto side much more on the front foot. That said, they have managed just two victories in their last ten matches across all competitions by more than a solitary goal. They now face a Sporting side destined to create some history for themselves by winning a second piece of silverware this season and backing Sporting to simply be too good for their opposition is a good bet.
PORTO VS SPORTING CP TIP: SPORTING CP TO WIN
