Prpic tackles new FC Porto season with room to grow | OneFootball

Dominik Prpic is entering his second season at FC Porto with the same ambition with which he ended the previous one, when the Dragons were crowned national champions. The Croatian defender acknowledges that his development is still only halfway there and is open to working on the technical and tactical details that will allow him to improve his performances and get closer to the level of Bednarek, Nehuén Pérez and Kiwior.

On their return to the Champions League, FC Porto do not foresee any changes to this quartet unless the market forces the club’s board to act, something that would only happen in the face of an irresistible offer. With no signs that this might happen in the summer, the heart of the defence is settled, and the Bednarek-Kiwior pairing is expected to be the foundation of FC Porto’s back line at the start of 2026/27, with Nehuén Pérez remaining the permanent alternative.

Solid with Croatia’s under-21 side, where he has been gaining prominence, Prpic may find more room when Farioli turns to the rotation that last season was behind an FC Porto side that was almost always beyond reproach from a physical standpoint, but a starting place still seems a difficult goal to achieve.

The demand to win the title kept the best players in the starting eleven, and that scenario is unlikely to change. Farioli will want to extend that management to other domestic competitions which, compared to the league, played an almost secondary role, such as the Portuguese Cup and the League Cup. Even so, with the Champions League set to require a significant share of the team’s energy, Prpic should pick up minutes and room to develop, quietly working on his growth at Olival. The Croatian featured in 12 official matches for FC Porto, across the league, Portuguese Cup, League Cup and Europa League.

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