No rest for FC Porto: three out for Nottingham trip | OneFootball

Less than 24 hours after defeating Celoricense with a decisive 0-4 – in a match where Jan Bednarek broke the deadlock before Samu Aghehowa came off the bench to score a hat-trick that dispelled any doubts – and securing a spot in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup, FC Porto's main squad returned to work at Olival.

The Dragons kicked off preparations for the third round of the Europa League group stage, against Nottingham Forest, with a morning session where, according to official platforms, the players “completed a recovery and gym workout session.”

There were three absences: Nehuén Pérez (operated on just over a month ago for a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon), Zaidu Sanusi (recovering from a right calf bruise), and Luuk de Jong (with a sprain in the left knee and internal lateral ligament injury).

The Nigerian left-back limited himself to “treatment,” while the Argentine central defender and the Dutch forward split their time between “treatment and gym work,” making it unlikely they will recover in time to be options for the trip to City Ground.

Italian coach Francesco Farioli granted the group a day off, and they will only resume training at the Jorge Costa Training Center next Tuesday. The Europa League match is scheduled for Thursday at 8:00 PM (Portugal Mainland time).

FC Porto on the rise… and Nottingham Forest ‘falling’

FC Porto is going through a remarkable run of form, with ten wins and one draw (0-0 with Benfica, at Estádio do Dragão) in 11 official matches this season.

This performance has secured them not only a place in the next round of the Portuguese Cup but also the leadership of the Primeira Liga (22 points out of a possible 24, three more than second-placed Sporting) and the leadership of the Europa League group stage (with six points, alongside Dinamo Zagreb, Midtjylland, Sporting de Braga, Aston Villa, Olympique Lyon, and Lille).

On the other hand, Nottingham Forest is facing difficulties: on Saturday, another coaching change was made, with the departure of Australian Ange Postecoglou after a record of six defeats and two draws since taking over, succeeding Nuno Espírito Santo.

The team has already been eliminated from the League Cup by Swansea City (3-2), occupies a dangerous position in the English Premier League standings (18th), with only five points out of a possible 24, and shares a low position in the Europa League group stage standings (one point), alongside Red Star, Bologna, PAOK, Celtic, and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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