Farioli: Risk in recalling Kiwior, Fernandes, Thiago Silva for Friday | OneFootball

All of FC Porto’s injured players visited Olival this Tuesday to continue their respective treatments and assess whether Farioli will be able to count on any of them for the home match against Arouca, Friday at 18:45. However, the short time frame until the clash with the Wolves from Serra da Freita does not align with the Italian coach’s plans, making it likely that none will return to the starting eleven.

The more serious cases are naturally excluded – Nehuén Pérez, Luuk de Jong, and Samu – as they are facing more severe injuries, although there is still hope that the Argentine center-back may recover in time to finish the season in competition. The medical department has focused its work on Martim Fernandes, Kiwior, and Thiago Silva.

These are a full-back and two center-backs, key elements of the club’s defensive line, at a time when, after Arouca, the Dragons face more demanding challenges: two consecutive derbies – first against Sporting, on Tuesday, in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals at Estádio José Alvalade, and then, on Sunday, at Luz, against Benfica, in the 25th round of the League – a match that could prove decisive in the title race.

The back-to-back encounters with their Segunda Circular rivals also complicate the physical management of Kiwior – who suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh against Sporting, at Dragão –, Martim Fernandes, who has plantar fasciitis in his right foot and was ruled out of the match against Rio Ave, and Thiago Silva, a last-minute absence against the Vila-Condenses due to slight inflammation in his right knee.

Hope for recovery for this trio has not been completely lost, but it is understood that the risk of using them against Arouca may outweigh the collective benefit of an accelerated recovery. Farioli will therefore assess each case individually before making a decision.

Even without work on the pitch, the day was marked by the return of Samu to Olival, after undergoing surgery in Madrid for a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The forward traveled by car from the Spanish capital, accompanied by his mother and members of FC Porto’s health and performance department, since, being in the post-operative period, air travel was not advisable.

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