Bednarek injury opens door for Nehuén Pérez return to the XI | OneFootball

He was sidelined for a long time due to a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon in his right leg, which sent him to the operating table, but Nehuén Pérez is ready to complete 90 minutes on the pitch again. And that could happen as soon as next Sunday, against Alverca, in the opening matchday of the league, at the Estádio do Dragão. Everything will depend on Francesco Farioli’s plan to fill the spot in the starting eleven left vacant by Jan Bednarek, due to the controversial injury he suffered in the Super Cup, at the Cidade de Coimbra, against Torreense.

In that match, which secured FC Porto’s 88th trophy and allowed them to pull clear of rivals Benfica as the Portuguese club with the most football titles, the Italian coach chose to adapt Pablo Rosario as a centre-back when Bednarek went off injured at half-time. The Polish international will at the very least miss this next match and is still doubtful for the following one, in Vila do Conde, against Rio Ave, but that only strengthens Nehuén Pérez’s desire to return to the starting lineup, a status he enjoyed in the opening rounds of last season, already with the demanding Italian coach at the helm.

It was on 30 August 2025, practically a year ago, that Nehuén Pérez last completed 90 minutes on the pitch for FC Porto, in the win against Sporting at Alvalade, in the 4th round of the previous Liga Portugal Betclic season. A serious injury followed, one that only allowed him to return to action in the final round of the last league campaign. Then came the holidays, during which he never stopped working in order to report back in top shape for pre-season and, now, with Bednarek injured, he sees a golden opportunity to return to FC Porto’s starting eleven and wants to seize it, especially since he is the centre-back in the current squad with the longest time at the club.

Farioli does not like a back line with two left-footed centre-backs

Prpic is the other available centre-back in the squad, but Francesco Farioli has already made it clear that he is not a fan “of two left-footed centre-backs in defence”. Assuming Kiwior keeps his place in the starting lineup, the young Croatian international will, at most, have a place on the team sheet as a substitute. It should be noted that in FC Porto’s visit to Alverca in December last year, Bednarek was suspended and Farioli went with Pablo Rosario and Kiwior in the centre of defence. Nehuén was injured and Thiago Silva had not yet arrived.

Bednarek giving everything to recover

Jan Bednarek did not stop during the two days off that Francesco Farioli gave the squad following the Super Cup triumph. According to Record, the centre-back returned yesterday to the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Centre, in Olival, to continue recovering from the sprain to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee suffered against Torreense. An injury which, according to the dragons, was caused by the poor condition of the Cidade de Coimbra pitch and could lead to a compensation claim against the Portuguese Football Federation. Also absent from that triumph was Cláudio Ramos, the goalkeeper who suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh in the presentation match for the members against Aston Villa. Neither of them will be fit to face Alverca, but both worked on their recovery during the break. The dragons return to training today.

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