FC Porto wrap up training camp in England with warm-up against Birmingham | OneFootball

After a week of intense work at St George’s Park, the England national team’s training centre, FC Porto wrap up their training camp in England today at 12:00 with a friendly against Birmingham. The coaching staff have put the players through heavy workloads with the aim of ensuring a strong start to the season, which officially begins on the 1st in Coimbra with the Super Cup final against Torreense, the surprise Portuguese Cup winners against Sporting.

A week ago, at the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Centre in Olival, the national champions drew 1-1 with Hibernian, who finished fifth in last season’s Scottish league and will play in the Conference League qualifying rounds in 2026/27.

This morning’s match will allow Francesco Farioli to assess the team’s physical and tactical progress. All signs suggest the coach will use the friendly to give minutes to most of the 35 players called up for the training camp on British soil. Some players are already showing signs of fatigue due to the accumulated effort of recent days and may be rested, although the physical work will continue after the return to Portugal.

As happened last summer in Austria, the national champions’ coach sought to strengthen the unity of the group, both on the pitch and, above all, off it. Several collective activities were therefore organised to build a more cohesive spirit, something important for facing the most difficult moments throughout the season.

Francesco Farioli wants to extend the winning momentum started last season, which allowed the Dragons to win their 31st league title and end a four-year trophy drought.

Birmingham will be the final test to gauge FC Porto’s progress since the start of preparations for the new season. The main objective is to retain the league title, without overlooking the other domestic competitions and a strong showing on their return to the Champions League, now in UEFA’s new format. Reaching the knockout stage is one of the goals set by Francesco Farioli and the board, and a longer run would also bring greater financial rewards. The Porto delegation return to the Invicta city early this evening on a charter flight from England.

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