Alberto Costa and Francisco Moura take charge of Porto’s defensive flanks

In partnership with

Portal dos Dragões

·18 de novembro de 2025

Alberto Costa and Francisco Moura take charge of Porto’s defensive flanks

In search of "wings" for his project, Francesco Farioli has been assisted by Alberto Costa and Francisco Moura. The two full-backs dominate the flanks of FC Porto's defense and enter a new competitive cycle—with no interruptions from international matches—with renewed energy.

The former Juventus player is trying to regain the rhythm he had before his injury at the beginning of September: he had provided four assists in the first four games of the Dragons this season, adding another one in Arouca at the end of September, after overcoming his muscle problem. As for the number 74, who is in his second season in blue and white, he aims to extend the positive signs shown in Famalicão before this month's competitive break—against his former club, he assisted Froholdt for the decisive goal and recorded his first assist in 2024/25; in terms of goals, he also scored during the trip to Arouca.

Vídeos OneFootball

In Alberto's case, the start of the 2025/26 season was so promising that, despite not having recorded decisive passes since the 7th round of the championship, the right-back remains at the top of the assist list for Farioli's team, with five assists, matching Gabri Veiga. However, football is not just about numbers: the consistent performances of the number 20 have kept Martim Fernandes as an alternative, in a battle for the starting position that, at the beginning of the season, promised to be one of the most interesting. Proof of this is Alberto Costa's usage records over the past month: he only didn't start the match against Utrecht in the 4th round of the Europa League.

In preparation for the match against Sintrense, scheduled for Saturday, both Alberto and Francisco Moura appear as favorites for the full-back positions, despite Farioli's tendency to rotate (see page 12). Candidates on their own merit for Roberto Martínez's options in the National Team, the two FC Porto players were once again left out of the November call-up and remain in Invicta under Francesco Farioli's command since last Saturday—before that, the squad enjoyed five days off.

Martim Fernandes and Zaidu, on the other hand, were called up by Portugal U21 and Nigeria, respectively, and will only report to their national team coaches the day after tomorrow, two days before the Portuguese Cup match. The final decision, as always, belongs to the FC Porto coach, who may favor the players who spent more time working at Olival.

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