Farioli eyes Brazilian duo, uses Deportivo to test recruits | OneFootball

The friendly between FC Porto and Deportivo de La Coruña, scheduled for Friday, could prove useful beyond simply maintaining the competitive sharpness of players not called up by their respective national teams. The match should also allow Francesco Farioli to observe signings who have yet to play any minutes this season.

João Souza and Gabriel Mec are two of the young Brazilians who arrived in the summer and are looking to establish themselves in the blue-and-white squad. Although they arrived in different circumstances, both could become valid options in the rotation introduced by the Italian coach.

João Souza, a natural left-back, arrived on loan from Tottenham and could present himself as an alternative on the left side of defense, a position that showed difficulties last season.

Gabriel Mec, 18, will also have an opportunity to showcase his qualities. The youngster cost FC Porto around €11 million, and the club believes in his medium- and long-term development, hoping to start reaping the rewards of that investment as soon as possible, much like what already happened with Oskar Pietuszewski in 2025/26.

With several squad members absent due to international duty, the match at Riazor could give Porto fans their first chance to see the two young Brazilians wearing the FC Porto shirt.

Smalling could be used just days after being announced

Francesco Farioli could also test Chris Smalling, a recent arrival at the Estádio do Dragão after the transfer window had already closed, who needs to regain match fitness.

With the Polish duo called up by Poland, the Porto coach may assess the physical condition of a player who was a regular presence for England and has two European trophies on his résumé: a Europa League and a Conference League.

Samu and Dominik Prpic will also have reasons to try to make a good impression, albeit in different circumstances, as they look to move closer to a starting place before the Primeira Liga resumes.

FC Porto resume the defense of their national title on October 10 against Marítimo in Funchal. That will be followed by two Champions League fixtures: a visit to Real Betis in Seville and a home match against PSV Eindhoven at the Estádio do Dragão.

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