Borja Sainz seeks to end drought v Alverca in Primeira Liga opener | OneFootball

FC Porto intend to continue dominating Portuguese football in 2026/27, without leaving the season’s success to chance. To achieve that goal, Francesco Farioli needs a fully fit squad, although some players are still far from their best.

Borja Sainz is one of those cases. The Spanish winger, part of Porto’s attacking unit, is going through a lengthy goal drought and has yet to score in an official match in 2026, a situation that has affected his performances.

The last time the player celebrated a goal was on 22 December 2025, against Alverca. In the matchday 15 Primeira Liga clash, Sainz stood out, scored twice, and saw the second of those goals named the best in the league that month.

After that, however, the inspiration disappeared. Since then, the Spaniard has not scored again and finished last season with only three assists, registered against Stuttgart and AVS.

As he also failed to score or assist in the Super Cup match, already part of the new season, Borja Sainz remains without a goal in the current calendar year.

The player is the only one of FC Porto’s four wingers with such a poor record, something that will naturally have caused concern at the Dragão. Given that scenario, Pepê, William Gomes and Oskar Pietuszewski have been Francesco Farioli’s main choices, despite Sainz’s desire to turn things around.

The opportunity for the Spaniard to start changing the course of events could come as early as next Sunday, 9 August, when FC Porto begin their Primeira Liga campaign. The opponent will be Alverca, a familiar rival for Borja Sainz and the team against whom he may rediscover his confidence.

The circumstances therefore seem favorable for ending the drought. Sainz could benefit from more minutes due to Oskar Pietuszewski’s lack of match sharpness, as he has only recently returned from injury and is not yet in peak condition. As a result, the Spaniard has the edge in Farioli’s selection choices.

At 25, the winger will want to recover the level he showed when he arrived at FC Porto, when he made a high-quality start and lived up to the expectations created by his move from Norwich City. In the first half of the season, Borja Sainz scored seven goals and provided two assists.

It should also be remembered that the player went through a particularly difficult period after his mother’s death in February this year.

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