FC Porto face defining run, Farioli forced to rotate | OneFootball

FC Porto’s squad faces several decisions in the coming days, and Francesco Farioli may be forced to make several changes to his usual starting eleven to keep the team fresh for what promises to be a particularly demanding end to the season.

This intense run for the Porto side began right on the first weekend of April, with the home match against Famalicão. Needing to avoid dropping points to keep sole possession of top spot in the Primeira Liga, FC Porto ended up drawing with Famalicão (2-2). In that match at the Estádio do Dragão, the Italian coach made three changes to the starting eleven compared to the team that had beaten Sporting de Braga. Terem Moffi, Rodrigo Mora and Alberto Costa started, with the striker taking on that role for the first time in the match against the Minho side.

That was followed by a real revolution for the home game against Nottingham Forest. Farioli made seven changes compared to the team that had drawn with Famalicão, a sign that the Italian coach trusts the entire squad at his disposal. Martim Fernandes, Thiago Silva, Pablo Rosario, Seko Fofana, Gabri Veiga, William Gomes and Borja Sainz were the starting choices, while Alberto Costa, Jakub Kiwior, Alan Varela, Victor Froholdt, Rodrigo Mora, Pepê and Oskar Pietuszewski dropped out of the lineup.

Another rotation followed on Porto’s carousel, with yet another reshuffle in the starting team. The win in Estoril began with seven changes to the starting side that had drawn with Nottingham Forest the previous Thursday, in a lineup almost identical to the one that had started the match at the Dragão against Famalicão.

With the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals approaching on Thursday night, it is virtually certain that Francesco Farioli will once again make a fresh wave of changes. One is mandatory: Oskar Pietuszewski is not registered and will miss the match. Pablo Rosario, meanwhile, is expected to return to the starting lineup for the game at the City Ground.

The weekend should also bring several changes to the starting team of the blue and whites. FC Porto host a Tondela side that is close to relegation from the Primeira Liga, and it would not be surprising if Francesco Farioli leaves some of his most-used starters on the bench. Especially since another important decision is also approaching.

After the European tie and the 30th round of the Primeira Liga, FC Porto host Sporting at the Estádio do Dragão in the second leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, scheduled for April 22. In less than two weeks, Porto will compete on three different fronts, and it is important to keep the players rested in this final stretch of the season. And that is without even factoring in a possible place in the Europa League semi-finals.

One thing is certain in this demanding spell for FC Porto: the carousel has not stopped in the Invicta, and Francesco Farioli does not hesitate to give an opportunity to any of the players at his disposal, except those who are unavailable, as is the case with Samu or Luuk de Jong. It is up to the players to prove whether or not they deserve that trust.

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