All-powerful Bednarek already holds special status at FC Porto | OneFootball

Bednarek remains a key player at the heart of the Dragons' defense. Last weekend, in Barcelos, the 29-year-old center-back reached a milestone by scoring his first goal in the blue and white jersey, after 11 games.

The goal came from a header, following a corner taken by Gabri Veiga, thanks to a good leap – one of the defender's qualities. He also provided an assist for one of Samu's goals. Although not known for his goal-scoring ability, Bednarek has previously shown his capacity to appear on prominent stages: before joining FC Porto, he played 184 matches in the Premier League, scoring a total of nine goals. For the Polish national team, for which he was called up 72 times, he scored his only goal in the 2018 World Cup against Japan.

Interestingly, Bednarek has already scored against Nottingham Forest, FC Porto's next opponent in the UEFA Europa League: in January, while playing for Southampton, he scored one of the goals in a 3-2 defeat at City Ground – where the Dragons will play next Thursday. In the following Premier League match, he scored again against Newcastle, although the team lost 3-1.

The encounter with Nottingham Forest could also be an opportunity for the defender to capitalize on FC Porto's good form and try to reverse the small negative streak against this opponent: in the three matches he played against the reds, he was always defeated. Nottingham Forest, which has already dismissed Ange Postecoglou, hasn't won since August.

Bednarek consolidates himself as a reference in FC Porto's defensive axis, demonstrating defensive solidity and also the ability to contribute offensively. Farioli values his experience, and the Pole continues to give reasons to deserve his trust.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.