Today’s the day! FC Porto host Sporting, chasing a comeback to Jamor | OneFootball

FC Porto and Sporting face off for a place in the Portuguese Cup final from 8:45 p.m. this Wednesday at the Estádio do Dragão, in a match broadcast on RTP1. To reach Jamor, Porto must overturn the one-goal deficit from the first leg, played at Alvalade on March 3 and lost 1-0.

On the way to the semi-finals, the team coached by Francesco Farioli comfortably beat CD Celoricense in Barcelos (0-4) and knocked out Sintrense (3-0), FC Famalicão (4-1) and Benfica (1-0) at home. Rui Borges’s side, meanwhile, eliminated Paços de Ferreira (2-3), Santa Clara (2-3), AFS (3-2) after extra time and Marinhense (3-0) in regular time.

Separated by one game and eight points in the league standings, FC Porto and Sporting have already met three times this season: twice at Alvalade, with one win for each side, and once in Porto, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In 256 official matches against this opponent, Porto have recorded 94 wins, 75 draws and 87 defeats, with 343 goals scored and 358 conceded. In Lisbon, however, the record favors Sporting, who have won 60, drawn 34 and lost 24 of the 118 classics played in the capital, with a goal difference of 215-116.

Sporting have not won at the Estádio do Dragão for almost a decade. Since their last away victory, on April 30, 2016, 12 classics have been played in Porto, with seven FC Porto wins and five draws.

Tickets put on sale on the club’s platforms sold out within a few hours and a full house is expected at the Estádio do Dragão. The gates open at 6:45 p.m. and the minimum membership fee required for members to enter the stadium is that of March 2026.

FC Porto

A “great match against a very strong opponent” is expected, and Francesco Farioli acknowledges that the team “is in a position where it doesn’t need any extra fuel to be motivated.” “Very confident and aware of our strengths and weaknesses,” Porto promise “to do everything to play the semi-final with the mentality the fans instill” and to perform “at the highest level in order to overturn the result achieved at Alvalade.”

Convinced that “the home factor will make itself felt” and that there is “a great connection between the team and the fans,” the coach recalled that the group “has always given its maximum to overcome absences and to play with the Dragon spirit” and assured that this is what he “wants to do tomorrow” in a “unique match that can give access to the final”: “The motivation will come naturally for an incredible match. Ever since we played there, we’ve had this desire to host them here at the Estádio do Dragão, put in a great performance and turn the tie around with great belief and desire. I believe we have every chance of doing it. We want to show who we are so we can reach the final, which is what we’ve had in mind since we entered the competition.”

Prepared for “different outcomes” in “90 minutes, 120 or penalties,” the coach stresses that this “has to be a very well-played game from a mental, tactical and physical point of view,” especially because “there are many details that can decide it” and that requires “a lot of attention, concentration and also resilience from the players, so they can still run another five meters,” although he admits the squad is “in good shape to give that strong response and the Estádio do Dragão will do the rest.”

“Trailing 1-0” from the opening whistle, “patience on the ball” will be needed to face “a more conservative structure” and avoid any “madness from the first minute,” Francesco Farioli explained before going back to the 96th minute of the first leg to find the link to the tie: “I believe that run could be the one that seals qualification, it’s the one that gives us the best chance of qualifying tomorrow and it represents who we are, how this team behaves, the sacrifice all the players make every day. We have the desire to reach the final, whether it takes 90 minutes, 120 or penalties. What we want is clear, we want to reach the final and you can be sure that we’ll do everything for it.”

Martim Fernandes has been declared fit by the medical department and “will return to the team” for the classic, while “Zaidu will remain out, still in the recovery process.” In the final training session ahead of tonight’s match, Nehuén Pérez took part in integrated but limited training, while both Luuk de Jong and Samu worked under treatment and gym routines.

Sporting

The reigning national champions arrive at the Estádio do Dragão after a draw with Arsenal in London (0-0) in the Champions League quarter-finals and a home defeat against Benfica (1-2) in the 30th round of the league. Sporting have the most productive attack in Portugal’s top flight (74 goals scored) and the second-best defense (19 conceded), behind only FC Porto’s (14).

Goalkeeper Rui Silva, defenders Iván Fresneda, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio and Maxi Araújo, midfielders Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita and Pedro Gonçalves, and forwards Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincão and Luis Suárez are the players most used by Rui Borges, who has also relied on Eduardo Quaresma, João Simões and Georgios Vagiannidis and can now count on Geovany Quenda, who was sidelined between December and April due to injury.

Luis Suárez (33 goals) is the team’s top scorer and the leading scorer in the Portuguese League, ahead of Pedro Gonçalves (15), Francisco Trincão (12) and Geny Catamo (8). Trincão (18) leads the assists chart, followed by Quenda (8), Suárez (7) and Pote (7). Maxi Araújo (6 goals and 4 assists) has also been involved in more than ten goals.

Refereeing team

Miguel Nogueira, from the Lisbon Football Association, was the referee appointed by the Arbitration Council of the Portuguese Football Federation. The 32-year-old official will have Paulo Brás and Nuno Pires as assistants, with João Gonçalves serving as fourth official. The VAR will be João Malheiro Pinto, assisted by Pedro Felisberto.

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