Rodrigo Mora and William Gomes could shake up Porto’s XI for Braga clash | OneFootball

FC Porto had to sweat last Monday to leave Moreira de Cónegos with all three points in the title race. Moreirense created clear difficulties for the blue and whites, who once again showed weaknesses against teams with a low block. The most effective way to counter this type of approach is to provide new options to the squad, and there are two players awaiting an opportunity.

Rodrigo Mora and William Gomes currently appear as the main candidates to earn a spot in the starting eleven against Sp. Braga, should Francesco Farioli decide to do something that has so far been rare: change the starting lineup.

On the other hand, Gabri Veiga and Borja Sainz may be left out, as their recent performances have fallen short of the required standard.

The Spanish midfielder remains far from his best form, as Farioli himself has already admitted, and could give up his place to Rodrigo Mora, a player capable of finding spaces against deep blocks and with a better goal-scoring record than the former Al Ahli Jeddah man.

Rodrigo Mora's situation has been much discussed this season for a simple reason. The youngster from Olival established himself as a starter under Martín Anselmi last season, after being given his debut by Vítor Bruno, but soon lost that status with Farioli's arrival.

In only three of this season’s 11 matches has he started, and only in one of them, against Red Star, did he play the full 90 minutes.

Curiously, it was precisely against the Serbians that he scored his only goal of the current season, already in stoppage time, a goal that secured victory in the second round of the Europa League.

Further forward, Borja Sainz is going through a clear dip in form, as reflected in the numbers. In the last 10 matches, the 24-year-old Spanish winger has not scored any goals and has only provided one assist – in that instance, it was Francisco Moura, during the visit to Arouca.

Before that, the forward, signed from Norwich last summer, had scored twice against Casa Pia and assisted against Vitória SC.

Waiting for an opportunity is the Brazilian William Gomes, who has already started for this FC Porto and took advantage of Pepê’s absence through injury to establish himself as a strong backup weapon.

Once again, the numbers are telling. In the three games he started for FC Porto, William Gomes always scored – Casa Pia, Sporting, and Red Star were the “victims” of the former São Paulo player, who arrived at Dragão in January but only became influential after Farioli took over as head coach.

However, with Pepê recovered, William Gomes returned to the role of used substitute, coming on against Benfica, Celoricense, Nottingham Forest, and Moreirense.

Almost immaculate record

With or without changes to the starting eleven, Farioli’s goal for the clash with Sp. Braga is clear: win and consolidate the lead in the Primeira Liga. The record against the Minho club gives FC Porto some peace of mind, as they have won 70 of the 84 matches played as the visiting team.

There have also been eight draws and six defeats, the last in 2021. Since then, whenever hosting Sp. Braga at Dragão, FC Porto has always come out on top.

It is worth highlighting, however, a point in favor of the Arsenalistas. Despite a poor start to the league, this Sp. Braga side has managed this season to beat bigger teams such as Feyenoord, Celtic, and Red Star, all in the Europa League, as well as securing a draw away to Sporting in the league.

Moreover, the team managed by Spaniard Carlos Vicens is enjoying its best run of form, with five wins and a draw in the last six matches.

The match between FC Porto and Sp. Braga, corresponding to the 10th round of the Primeira Liga, is scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

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