Derby at the Dragão Arena could put FC Porto back in title race | OneFootball

The decisive phase of the Championship begins this Saturday, with all eyes on the classic at Dragão Arena, where FC Porto cannot afford to slip up at home against Sporting in the opening round of Group A, which will decide the title.

The two-time champions arrive in Porto with a 3-point lead (33 to 30), earned in the regular season — the teams carried half their points into Group A — meaning an away win would leave the dragons almost out of the race, which is now down to six games, considering Benfica (29 pts.) and Águas Santas (25) are also still in the fight and face each other on Sunday at the Luz.

If FC Porto win, the battle between the two rivals will be wide open again; however, if the blue and whites lose, or even draw, the lions will have an almost clear path to a third straight title.

Speaking to the FC Porto website, captain Rui Silva stressed the importance of the match: “The break helps us rest a little, as we are entering the final stage of the championship and we know we need to have renewed energy because we have a huge ambition to be champions and we already have a decisive game ahead of us.”

About the opponent, he added: “We are expecting a strong Sporting side, one that also wants to make a statement and make the championship easier for themselves, but I believe we want to turn that around and we really want to win this game, because we know how important it is. We have had many difficulties against Sporting, there have been balanced matches decided by small details, and those are details we need to improve on. We are now entering the final stage and we depend only on ourselves for our big objective, so we know we have to win this game at home to keep our ambitions intact. We are preparing well and feel very ambitious, we really want to win.”

Rui Silva admits this challenge could be decisive for FC Porto’s ambitions: “We are still within what we had planned, both for the European competitions and for the championship, but not in the way we wanted in the league. This final stage exists and we are still alive in the title race, but there is no margin for error and we will have to fight against that. There are six finals in the championship and we always have to approach them that way.”

Finally, the defender made an appeal to the home fans: “We really want to turn around the head-to-head issue with Sporting and we have the chance to do so in this game. If our fans turn up in force, I believe it becomes a little easier for us and harder for them. I have been here for a few years now and I understand that when Dragão Arena is on fire and the fans are pushing us on, it gives us different energy. We will do everything to win this game.”

On the other side is the other captain, Salvador Salvador, confident of a positive outcome for Sporting: “At this stage, any game can be decisive. There are only six games and all of them will be treated like a final. Fortunately, so far, we have only victories in the Championship and we want to keep that record,” the wing player and defender told Sporting’s website.

For Salvador, it is important to maintain the recent trend, as Sporting have won the last four matches at Dragão Arena, in a run of seven consecutive classics, four of them this season: “It is an extremely important game for us and for FC Porto as well. We want to win, repeat what we have done in the last matches at the Dragão, and make a strong start.”

The player’s confidence is high: “We are completely prepared for the game. We want to start aggressively, strongly, and put in a great defensive performance, because that can make the difference. Our ambition is sky-high and the 60 minutes at the Dragão are our only thought.”

Salvador also had a message for the fans: “We really want to count on our supporters, who fortunately have always shown up at the Dragão.”

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