Mora and Gabri Veiga battle for FC Porto XI spot against Tondela | OneFootball

Beyond the usual rotation Farioli made to FC Porto’s starting XI in the second leg against Nottingham Forest, the coach’s squad management was also felt in the substitutions during the European clash with the English side. Alberto and Zaidu were taken off at half-time, as were Gabri Veiga and Borja Sainz. The two full-backs should remain in the team for tonight’s home game against Tondela, but it is not certain that the Spanish midfielder will keep his place in the starting XI, since Mora did not play against Nottingham and could return as first choice. In the most demanding phase of the schedule, Mora has been used more in Europe and Gabri in the league, but since the Spaniard served a suspension against Famalicão that logic has been reversed, although Gabri did start against Estoril.

Even without European competitions on the schedule, the need to manage the available resources well leads Farioli to maintain that balance, especially because there is a clássico against Sporting on Wednesday, with a trophy at stake: after the narrow defeat in the first leg, the decision on who reaches the Portuguese Cup final at Jamor affects the preparation for the clash with the team currently 16th in the league. Even so, in this battle between Mora and Gabri, the Italian may continue to manage things from the bench, as happened in Nottingham, keeping the Spaniard in the triangle most used this season alongside Alan Varela and Froholdt.

Farioli and the squad want to end the season with both domestic trophies and, for that reason, management should be guided mainly by the clock, in the hope that the team can build a result in the first half that gives them a strong platform for victory, as happened in the last round away to Estoril.

This time, unlike what happened against the canaries, William Gomes, who was suspended for that league match, is available for selection. In England, the forward came close to scoring again, but the crossbar denied the celebration in what would have been the equaliser and could have put FC Porto back into the tie against Nottingham. Also in the spotlight are the pace and unpredictability of Oskar Pietuszewski, a topic in Farioli’s press conference because he had exposed himself to a second yellow against Estoril and ended up being substituted in the 60th minute. Barring any unexpected issue, the young Pole will return to the starting XI with a clearer head and his nerves under control.

FC Porto will take to the field already knowing the outcome of the Lisbon derby, something that could serve as extra motivation to go after Tondela. Compared to the squad list for the second match against Nottingham Forest, besides the natural inclusion of Oskar Pietuszewski, there are three departures involving B-team players whom Francesco Farioli included in the travelling party: centre-back Gabriel Brás, midfielder Tiago Silva and winger Gonçalo Sousa.

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