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 grand entrance. The central defender has the classic match against Benfica in his sights and could even start in the game 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 this afternoon in the game against Farense, which concludes the mini-training camp in the Algarve.

Displacing the solid Polish wall, which has been fulfilling its role well, is not a simple choice, but the experience of the first winter signing is an asset that the coach should take advantage of. Having been in training since the beginning of the week, Thiago will arrive at the classic at Dragão already well-adjusted and with his game rhythm fine-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 the transfer to Dragão, staying active through work with a personal trainer in Brazil. Good physical condition has always been a priority for the defender, essential to continue competing at the highest level at 41 years old.

Furthermore, Thiago's inclusion in the defensive axis can solve a difficulty on the left flank. Zaidu is still at the CAN and Moura continues treatment for a muscle injury in the left adductor which, although not serious, puts him in doubt for the classic. Thus, the only left-back available at the start is the young Martim Cunha, U-17 World Champion, observed by Farioli, but not very suitable to join the Portuguese Cup match.

In the squad, there are two alternatives: move Martim Fernandes to the left or push Kiwior to the line, an option the coach has already admitted. “He can play there, he played there many times at Arsenal and at some moments here,” recalled Farioli after the victory against Santa Clara.

On the way to… a thousand games

With an extensive career that began in 2003 at the modest RS FC, Thiago Silva arrives at FC Porto with a remarkable resume 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 milestone dressed as a dragon. 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 with no prospect of increasing that number this season due to a serious injury he suffered. Bednarek completes the podium with 412 matches.

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