FC Porto face tough run: nine games in five weeks, injury woes | OneFootball

FC Porto is about to face a ‘crazy’ sequence in the coming weeks that will only end with the break for national team commitments at the end of March.

Between the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese Cup, and the Europa League, the team will play nine matches over the next five weeks—a period in which they could be eliminated from all competitions or remain in the fight for the three trophies they are currently contesting at this stage of the season.

Now, Francesco Farioli will have to face this marathon of games with several long-term injuries in the squad and a more meticulous management of the fatigue of the available players. Let’s take a closer look.

Tight schedule and ‘heavyweight’ opponents

The next nine games are decisive for the Dragons’ season objectives. Although the run starts with three matches that are theoretically easier, it’s important to remember that it was against Casa Pia, at the bottom of the table, that Porto suffered their first league defeat.

Thus, the trip to Choupana to face Nacional, already this Sunday, won’t be a simple task, nor will the home games against Rio Ave and Arouca, on February 22 and 27 respectively—teams known for not making things easy.

From here, the challenge increases for the team led by Francesco Farioli. After hosting the Wolves, they travel to Alvalade Stadium to open March with crucial decisions: first, the Portuguese Cup semi-final against Sporting (first leg), and then a tough trip to Estádio da Luz to face Benfica—a match that could be decisive for their title hopes—on the 8th of next month.

The difficulty continues that same week, with a European trip for the first leg of the Europa League round of 16, where FC Porto will face one of the clubs from the pairs Stuttgart or Celtic, or Ludogorets or Ferencváros, depending on the draw.

On March 15, they return to the Dragão to host Moreirense in the Primeira Liga, before playing at home the second leg of those Europa League round of 16, which will decide their European journey.

The sequence ends with yet another tough test, as on March 22—about a week before the players leave for their national teams—FC Porto visits Pedreira to face a rising Sporting de Braga.

Injuries and more injuries complicate the challenge on all fronts

To make matters worse, the blue and white squad left the Clássico against Sporting with a real ‘massacre’ of key players.

First and most worrying, it was announced this Tuesday that Samu Aghehowa suffered an injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a right knee sprain with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture, which could even jeopardize his participation in the 2026 World Cup.

Minutes later, two more pieces of bad news arrived: Jakub Kiwior suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh and is expected to be out for several weeks, while Martim Fernandes, the least serious of the three, will miss a few games due to plantar fasciitis.

Thus, FC Porto now faces perhaps the greatest continuous challenge since Francesco Farioli took charge, requiring a long-term strategy for the next month and a half of ‘non-stop’ competition.

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