Alberto Costa adds to Farioli's headache for Alverca-FC Porto | OneFootball

FC Porto announced in a statement published on its official platforms early on Tuesday afternoon that Alberto Costa suffered “a bruise to his right thigh,” casting doubt over his availability for the opening round of the Primeira Liga against Alverca.

The Portugal under-20 international only underwent “treatment and restricted training” at the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Centre in Olival. His involvement in the trip to Ribatejo is therefore at risk, in a match scheduled for 6:00 pm (mainland Portugal time) next Sunday.

It should be recalled that the full-back missed a large part of the Dragons’ pre-season due to a muscle injury in his right thigh. Even so, he started in last Saturday’s match against Torreense at the Cidade de Coimbra Stadium, which ended in a 1-0 Porto win and the capture of the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup.

Should his absence against Sérgio Ferreira’s side be confirmed, Francesco Farioli may turn to makeshift option Pablo Rosario or Martim Fernandes to fill the right side of the defence. The young full-back also recently had physical issues, but these are now said to have been fully overcome.

The Italian coach’s ‘headaches’ do not end there, however. The blue-and-whites’ medical report still includes Cláudio Ramos and Jan Bednarek, who underwent “treatment,” as well as Vasco Sousa, André Miranda and Samu Aghehowa, who are still in “restricted training.”

Farioli still waiting for more reinforcements…

FC Porto have adopted an especially cautious approach in the summer market and have spent considerably less than their eternal rivals. So far, the investment is around €7.5 million, allocated to the signings of Inbeom Hwang from Feyenoord, André Silva from Elche, Eirik Granaas from Fredrikstad, and João Afonso from Santa Clara.

André Villas-Boas’ administration does not, however, consider the market closed. Francesco Farioli himself has reportedly already expressed the wish to receive at least one more left-back and one striker ahead of the new 2026/27 season.

The need is explained, on the one hand, by the fact that Zaidu Sanusi and Francisco Moura do not have guaranteed continuity in the squad of the current national champions. On the other hand, André Silva is the only certainty in attack, as Deniz Gul may also have his ‘days numbered,’ while Samu Aghehowa is only expected to return in November.

…and departures at FC Porto

Besides Zaidu Sanusi, Francisco Moura and Deniz Gul, there are several other players whose future remains undefined. Stephen Eustáquio is one such case: he returned to FC Porto after a loan spell at Los Angeles FC, but he is not part of Francesco Farioli’s plans.

In recent days, there has also been talk of interest from various clubs in Alan Varela, Victor Froholdt and even Rodrigo Mora. Any of them could leave the Estádio do Dragão before the close of the current summer transfer window if offers considered irresistible arrive.

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