Farioli readies academy youngsters if FC Porto win the title | OneFootball

FC Porto are counting down the days – and the points – to be crowned Portuguese football champions for the 31st time, reclaiming a title that has eluded them for three consecutive seasons. To do so, the Dragons need to beat Alverca on Saturday night, from 8:30pm.

Even so, and with three matches still to be played in this Primeira Liga campaign, Francesco Farioli may be tempted to give some academy youngsters a chance in Porto’s first team. If the title is indeed secured on Saturday, the Italian coach could use the final two games of the season, against AVS and Santa Clara, the latter of which will bring the league campaign to a close at the Dragão, to assess in a competitive setting some academy players who could become regular options in the future.

In any case, Francesco Farioli has frequently placed his trust in young players, albeit not in first-team matches. Throughout the season, senior squad training sessions have almost always included academy players developing either with the B team or the under-19s, who from time to time get the chance to show themselves to the Italian coach.

As a point of interest, it is worth noting that close to ten academy players have already been included in FC Porto’s first-team matchday squads this season. Among this group that has been working with the senior side, André Miranda is the one who has already earned a vote of confidence from Francesco Farioli, having made his senior debut in a match on matchday 24 of the Primeira Liga.

The 18-year-old winger, whose name recently even appeared in an error by the FPF Disciplinary Board, played just over six minutes in the 3-1 win over Arouca in February, when he came on in place of Brazilian winger Pepê.

Tiago Silva, João Teixeira and Gabriel Brás also on the list

Other academy names have also appeared several times on FC Porto’s matchday sheets, although without yet being handed the ‘golden ticket’ to make their first-team debut. João Teixeira, who has already received public praise from Francesco Farioli, was an unused substitute in two Europa League matches, against Malmo and Red Bull Salzburg. Gabriel Brás and Tiago Silva, both regulars in training sessions, have also joined other teammates in matches in this European competition. In the centre-back’s case, he has even been named on the bench in Primeira Liga games against Rio Ave and Nacional.

More recently, centre-back António Ribeiro was called up to train by Farioli. He has never been included in a senior matchday squad, the same being true of Luís Gomes and world champion Bernardo Lima, who have also worked with the older players.

Tiago Andrade, Gonçalo Sousa and André Oliveira, meanwhile, have already been alongside Farioli on the substitutes’ bench, the first two in the Europa League, against Stuttgart and Nottingham Forest respectively, putting them closer to making their dream of a first-team debut for FC Porto come true. The midfielder, meanwhile, could have been an option against Arouca, as he was an unused substitute in that match, but that debut now looks even further away. At the end of March, André Oliveira suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and now faces a lengthy recovery period.

One thing is certain from this lengthy list: with the title virtually in the bag for the Dragons, some of these youngsters may well get to fulfil the dream of wearing the first-team shirt.

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