Martim Fernandes targets Sporting cup return as Porto manage full-back options | OneFootball

Martim Fernandes will miss Porto’s home game against Tondela on Sunday at 20:30, with the right-back aiming for a Taça de Portugal return against Sporting. He is not certain to be fully fit for Wednesday, though that remains the expectation.

According to O Jogo, Fernandes suffered a right ankle sprain in the first game with Nottingham Forest and has not yet been cleared to train. He limited himself to treatment and gym work yesterday, and stayed at Olival while team-mates travelled to England.

Francesco Farioli managed Alberto Costa’s workload in Nottingham, withdrawing him at half-time mainly to protect him after 90 minutes against Estoril, with tactical factors also in play. The same approach applied to Zaidu, who has held the left-back spot for several weeks. Both should start the league fixture, which could carry significant weight in the title race and will be played after the Lisbon derby result is known.

Samu, Luuk de Jong and Nehuén Pérez are confirmed absentees. The match is set to bring Oskar Peituszewski back into the starting XI, the young Pole having been unavailable in Europe due to non-registration.

Porto’s final training session before the round 30 meeting is scheduled for this afternoon. Farioli will speak at 13:30 in his pre-match press conference.

Source: O Jogo