Portuguese Cup Preview: FC Porto - C.D Aves What: Portuguese Cup, Fifth Round Who: FC Porto vs Desportivo das Aves When: Saturday, January 19th,

Overview
On Saturday evening, FC Porto face C.D Aves in the Portuguese Cup fifth round, a match that represents a David versus Goliath scenario that only a cup competition can produce.

FC Porto are currently top of the Bwin Liga, with a massive 11-point gap separating them from their nearest rivals Benfica, and are in the second round of the Champions League after topping a group containing last year’s finalists Liverpool.

In stark contrast, Aves find themselves three places off bottom in the Liga Vitalis (Portugal’s second division), which is an unlikely position for a club that had been playing in Portugal’s top division last season.

However, the Liga Vitalis side will take inspiration from the fact that FC Porto were eliminated from last years tournament by third-division outfit Atletico Clube de Portugal in a memorable match at the Estadio do Dragao.

The embarrassing 1-0 defeat in the fourth round of last year's competition will still be fresh in the mind of Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira, who will be looking to avoid any similar upset. This is particularly due to the fact that his side were again eliminated from a domestic cup competition earlier this season, with a defeat on penalties at the hands of Fatima in Portugal’s secondary trophy competition, the Carlsberg Cup.

Teams

It is difficult to predict the starting eleven that Porto will present on Saturday, with Jesualdo Ferreira commenting in a press conference that, “FC Porto will play on Saturday with a team that I feel has the capacity to eliminate Aves. Who I will play or not, I have not yet decided. But I can safely say that some new players who arrived at the club this season will play, whilst others will have to sit out”.

Ferreira’s words indicate that he will be giving an opportunity to certain new player, meaning that Mariano Gonzalez, Ernesto Farias, Milan Stepanov and Kazmierczak are all in the running for a spot in Saturday's starting eleven.

One thing is for certain: Helder Barbosa, who returned from loan this week, will not be playing. This is due to issues with the player’s registration, forcing FC Porto to have to make do without the player as he won’t be eligible in time for the match on Saturday.

Aves on the other hand are certain to start their strongest eleven, as a positive result could turn their season around, and give a boost for in future league performances. However, the side are likely to be without Sergio Carvalho, Octavio and Yu Dabao, who are all suffering from injuries and missed training today.

Prediction:

FC Porto 3-0 C.D Aves

Porto’s recent tendencies to be eliminated in the early stages of domestic cup competitions at the hands of lower league opposition is well-known, yet it is difficult to see this trend continuing. With Porto manager Jesualdo Ferreira desperate to add a Portuguese Cup to his CV it is likely that Porto will field a relatively strong side, and with the home fans demanding a victory, the players will surely respond with a comfortable win. Anything less than victory for the home side will be scandalous, and Aves may well have to content themselves with trying to keep the scoreline down.