Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Primeira Liga clash between Porto and Braga, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Porto look to strengthen their grip on the Primeira Liga summit as they welcome a rejuvenated Braga side to Estadio do Dragao on Sunday for round 10 action.
The Dragons are three points clear of second-placed Sporting Lisbon, while the Archbishops sit seventh in the standings on 13 points.
Match preview
Picking up 25 points from their opening nine fixture remains an extraordinary run, though Porto appear to be losing some of the explosive spark that defined their early-season dominance.
A goalless draw against Benfica in the O Classico brought an end to the Dragons’s perfect league start, while a defeat to Nottingham Forest on the continental front also halted their 11-game unbeaten run this season.
Porto’s display was hardly convincing last weekend either, taking a late strike from substitute Deniz Gul for Francesco Farioli’s men to snatch a 2-1 win away at Moreirense.
Farioli admitted that “it is time to discover new solutions” in his quest to reignite the Dragons’s attacking rhythm, though that does not take away from the impressive foundation his side have laid in this 2025-26 Primeira Liga season.
The Blue and Whites remain one of only two teams yet to taste defeat in the division, their 21 goals scored second only to Sporting Lisbon’s 23, while conceding just twice — two fewer than any other team — and will hope these numbers prove decisive on Sunday.
Braga are also enjoying a fine run, having gone six games unbeaten across all competitions, winning each of the last four — all with clean sheets.
The Archbishops enter Sunday’s clash following a 5-0 demolition of Santa Clara in the Taca da Liga in midweek, having also ended their five-game winless spell in the Primeira Liga with a 4-0 victory over Casa Pia last weekend.
Carlos Vicens’s side endured a rough patch after opening the Primeira Liga season with emphatic wins over newly promoted sides Tondela and Alverca, but home defeats to Gil Vicente and Nacional, alongside draws against AVS and rivals Vitoria de Guimaraes, had fuelled frustration among the Os Arcebispos faithful.
However, a hard-fought point at the Jose Alvalade against Sporting on matchday eight felt like a step in the right direction, and their emphatic victory over Casa Pia will have restored confidence around the club.
Looking to maintain their upward momentum, the visitors could draw belief from their win in the most recent meeting with Porto, though that remains their only success in six league encounters, and Braga have not won away at the Dragao in the top flight since 2020.
Porto Primeira Liga form:
Porto form (all competitions):
Braga Primeira Liga form:
Braga form (all competitions):
Team News
Porto remain without long-term absentee Nehuen Perez, while Zaidu Sanusi is also sidelined, although there is positive news for Luuk de Jong, who returned to training in midweek following a two-month layoff.
The Dutch striker is unlikely to start, with Samu Omorodion expected to lead the line once more, though Gul is in contention for the number nine role after his game-changing cameo last weekend.
Teenage sensation Rodrigo Mora also impressed off the bench, and it remains to be seen whether that earns him a place in the lineup.
Midfielder Vitor Carvalho appears to be Braga’s only confirmed absentee, with Paulo Oliveira, Sikou Niakate and Florian Grillitsch all back in contention after featuring in the second half of the midweek cup win.
Pau Victor was outstanding in that contest, registering a goal and two assists, so it would not be surprising to see him start here, likely operating in a two-man support role alongside Rodrigo Zalazar behind the striker.
Porto possible starting lineup:
D Costa; Moura, Kiwior, Bednarek, A Costa; Veiga, Varela, Froholdt; Pepe, Aghehowa, Sainz
Braga possible starting lineup:
Hornicek; Arrey-Mbi, Oliveira, Lagerbielke; Lelo, Moutinho, Gorby, Gomez; Victor, Horta; Navarro
We say: Porto 1-0 Braga
Given Braga’s renewed confidence, Porto might not find this a straightforward task, though the hosts should still have enough to grind out another home victory, as they have done in the last four meetings between the sides at the Dragao.
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