GD Chaves vs FC Porto Prediction: Flavienses First In Line To Feel The Rage Of Dragões

GD Chaves will welcome FC Porto to the Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira for the 23rd round of the Primeira Liga with the faintest hope of returning to winning ways, which would legitimately prove to be a difficult task against a team that has been in impressive form.

By registering a convincing victory over a team that has displayed virtually nothing at home, FC Porto will look to move past their shocking road loss to Gil Vicente and get back on track.

Let's have a look at the latest Portuguese Primeira Liga predictions between GD Chaves vs FC Porto, team news, probable lineups, match facts and up to date betting odds for you to consider!

GD Chaves

Form: LLDWL

The Flavienses come into this match with low spirits after suffering a 1:0 defeat to Rio Ave on the road. Despite controlling 61% of the ball and registering the same number of shots on goal as their opponents (11), their inefficiency in attack proved to be their undoing.

Prior to that, they were outplayed by Sporting CP at home, succumbing to a 3:2 defeat. Despite their loss, their valiant efforts to put on a convincing performance in front of their fans went unnoticed, and it's without a doubt that they avoided being a pushover, though it wasn't enough to avoid a disappointing result in the end.

Their home form in the Primeira Liga has been swamped with more draws and losses than wins, with only two wins, five draws, and three losses in their last 10 home matches played, which does not inspire much confidence as they look to become a dominant side.

With a 10-point advantage over the relegation playoffs, they are currently 13th in the standings with 26 points, level on points with FC Vizela (11th), Portimonense (12th), and Gil Vicente (14th), and are only three points away from a ninth-place finish.

Team News

GD Chaves are beset by injuries and will be without a slew of players ahead of this match, including Joao Correia, Paulo Vitor, Sidy Sarr, and long-term absentee Eduardo Borges. 

Nwankwo Obioro has missed four consecutive games due to a muscle injury sustained at the end of January and will not be available for selection ahead of this match.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Moura; Sylla, Vitoria, Ponck, Langa; Mendes, Machado; Euller, Teixeira, Abass; Juninho

FC Porto

Form: LWWWW

After suffering a narrow 1:0 defeat at the hands of Simone Inzaghi's men at Inter Milan in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, it appeared as if that loss had an impact on them as their recent match in the Primeira Liga at home against Gil Vicente resulted in a shocking 2:1 defeat.

In that match, Mehdi Taremi's goal in the first four minutes almost assured them of three points, but an equalizer 23 minutes later spelled the end of their dominance as in the 35th minute they were at a disadvantage as they were a man down, leading to trepidation, which saw their opponent double the lead through a penalty before half-time, and the second half was no better as Uribe was sent off in the 52nd minute with the rest being history.

This saw the end of their reign of terror at the Estádio do Dragão, where they had gone 11 games unbeaten in all competitions, and they never thought it would be ended by minnows Gil Vicente. Reestablishing their dominance once again in the Primeira Liga will be at the top of their priority list.

They now face an eight-point deficit in the standings, which may appear insurmountable as the table leaders show no signs of slowing down, and a loss of points in this match will surely put the icing on the cake for them in their bid for the title this season. They are currently in second place with 51 points.

Team News

Gabriel Veron (ankle injury) and Francisco Meixedo (ligament injury) are still out for FC Porto ahead of this match.

Uribe and Mario both received red cards in a heated home game against Gil Vicente and will not be available for selection as a result of their suspension.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-4-2

Costa; Conceicao, Pepe, Marcano, Wendell; Otavio, Franco, Eustaquio, Pepe; Taremi, Namaso

Match Facts

• GD Chaves have yet to defeat FC Porto in their last four meetings.
• In their last five meetings, FC Porto has yet to lose to GD Chaves.
• The average number of goals scored in a match between GD Chaves and FC Porto is 3.6.
• When playing at home, GD Chaves averages 1.43 goals per game, while FC Porto averages 1.78 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

GD Chaves have won 0 times in the last 13 meetings, FC Porto have won 11 times, and there have been 2 draws with a goal difference of 34-6 in favor of FC Porto.

Expert Betting Tips

GD Chaves enters this encounter with a sense of déjà vu, knowing that this will not be an easy walkthrough to victory as they had anticipated, even though their opponent, who is low on confidence, may be motivated to get back to winning ways, which is a given, and deploying a defensive approach in this instance will not help the situation any better, making their victory in this case improbable.

FC Porto will be more driven and motivated to return to winning ways than Chaves, and given that they have won four of their last five meetings by a goal difference of two, an Asian handicap of -1.5 should work in their favor if they are to deliver a strong effort on the road.

• Asian Handicap - FC Porto -1.5 for 1.89
• Goals - Over 2.5 for 1.67
• Corners - Over 9.5 for 1.72