Farioli faces cup tie with absentees, rewards squad with ‘bonus’ | OneFootball

FC Porto continues its preparation for the third round of the Portuguese Cup with another training session held this Tuesday morning, still facing absences among the most utilized players.

Diogo Costa (Portugal), Samu (Spain), Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior (Poland), Victor Froholdt (Denmark), Deniz Gül (Turkey), Zaidu (Nigeria), Eustáquio (Canada), Pablo Rosario (Dominican Republic), Martim Fernandes and Rodrigo Mora (Portugal U21), Dominik Prpić (Croatia U21) and Tomás Pérez (Argentina U20) remain absent due to commitments with their respective national teams.

Luís Gomes, Tiago Silva, João Teixeira, Kauê Rodrigues, and Leonardo Vonić, members of the B team of the Dragons, have once again joined the training sessions led by Francesco Farioli.

Farioli still cannot count on Nehuén Pérez and Luuk De Jong, who are listed in the club's medical report, although both are already undergoing treatment and gym work.

Luuk De Jong was injured during the last break in September, in a training match, and has been out of FC Porto's options since then, but his return is expected still in October.

On the other hand, the Argentine defender faces a prolonged recovery after a serious injury that required surgical intervention. On September 14, he successfully underwent surgery that confirmed the complete rupture of the Achilles tendon, which occurred in the match against Nacional after just five minutes on the field. The 25-year-old defender is not expected to compete this season, becoming available only in the next season.

It is also worth mentioning that Francesco Farioli granted a day of rest to the blue and white squad, which will return to training next Thursday, October 16, with the internationals joining the team.

Remember that the third round match of the Portuguese Cup is scheduled for Saturday, October 18, at 6:00 PM, when FC Porto will visit Celoricense at the Municipal Stadium of Barcelos, a venue that will serve as a temporary home for the Celorico de Basto team.

Morning ended with a tribute to Jorge Costa at Olival

FC Porto paid another tribute to Jorge Costa, which will be etched in the club's memory: the Olival training center will now bear the name of the former captain of the blues and whites.

In an emotionally charged moment, André Villas-Boas announced the change early in the afternoon, in a ceremony attended by the family of the former member of Francesco Farioli's technical team. The main technical team and the squad attended the tribute, which was particularly moving for the president of the blues and whites.

The president of the Dragons was moved in his speech as he remembered the ‘Beast’, where he stated: “he was a great man and a great companion. I want to leave a hug here because Jorge died in August, but he left us an impressive legacy. Of charisma, honor, and victories, a force of nature. An exceptional man. Something very curious about David that reminds me of his father is his unmistakable walk and curly hair. He was always by my side. Sometimes I have mixed feelings about having brought him back here, and having lost him here, the way it was in my arms.”

Jorge Costa passed away on August 5, following a cardiorespiratory arrest at the training center. The historic FC Porto central defender, who represented the club for 13 seasons, had returned to the club at the initiative of André Villas-Boas in April 2024, and since then the club has multiplied tributes to the eternal ‘Beast’, culminating in the naming of the Training Center after him.

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