Thiago Silva could make his Porto debut in the derby against Benfica | OneFootball

Thiago Silva may have “postponed” his debut with the main jersey for 20 years – in 2004/05 he only played for the B team – but everything points to him making a big entrance. The central defender has his sights set on the classic against Benfica and could even start in the match that secures one of the spots in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Francesco Farioli has not yet decided – there are still a few days until the game – but he has been testing the experienced Brazilian alongside Bednarek in recent training sessions and plans to repeat the pairing this afternoon in the match against Farense, which concludes the mini training camp in the Algarve.

Moving the solid Polish wall, who has been performing his role well, is not a simple choice, but the experience of the first winter signing is an asset the coach is likely to take advantage of. Having trained since the beginning of the week, Thiago will arrive at the classic at Dragão already well integrated and with his match fitness tuned. His last appearance was on December 14, when he played 90 minutes in Fluminense’s victory over Vasco da Gama (1-0). This was followed by a holiday period and the completion of his transfer to Dragão, during which he stayed active by working with a personal trainer in Brazil. Maintaining good physical condition has always been a priority for the defender, which is essential for continuing to compete at the highest level at 41 years old.

Furthermore, Thiago’s inclusion in the defensive line could solve a problem on the left flank. Zaidu is still at the AFCON and Moura continues treatment for a muscle injury in his left adductor which, although not serious, puts his participation in the classic in doubt. Thus, the only left-back available at the moment is the young Martim Cunha, U-17 World Champion, observed by Farioli, but not the most suitable to start in the Portuguese Cup match.

There are two alternatives in the squad: moving Martim Fernandes to the left or placing Kiwior on the flank, an option the coach has already considered. “He can play there, he played there many times at Arsenal and at times here,” Farioli recalled after the win against Santa Clara.

On the way to… a thousand games

With a long career that began in 2003 at the modest RS FC, Thiago Silva arrives at FC Porto with a remarkable résumé and rare experience, being just a few matches away from reaching the impressive milestone of a thousand games. He needs 16 more matches, so he could reach the mark wearing the dragon’s jersey. The club where he played the most was Fluminense, with 213 matches. In the Porto squad, the closest to the central defender is Luuk de Jong, with 703 games, but he is not expected to increase that number this season due to a serious injury. Bednarek completes the podium with 412 matches.

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