FC Porto go into their trip to GIL Vicente with a run that is starting to look less like a blip and more like a real defensive problem. They have gone seven straight matches without a clean sheet, lost their last two, and are still on zero points in the Champions League league phase after three games.
Seven games without a clean sheet
The slide stretches across Moreirense, Manchester City, Casa Pia, Benfica, Maritimo, Betis and PSV. The latest setback was the 0-1 home loss to PSV, which extended a run that had already included defeat at Real Betis.
Francesco Farioli had never previously suffered two consecutive defeats as FC Porto coach. That is the first real crack in a start that has been far stronger in Portugal than in Europe.
The home European start is the bigger concern
Porto have also opened their home Champions League campaign with two blanks, a rare sequence that only happened once before, in 2004/05. They failed to score in their first two home games then as well, against CSKA Moscow and PSG.
The contrast with the league is still stark. Porto top the Primeira Liga with 24 points from eight matches and a 20-4 goal difference, so the defensive issue is not showing up in the domestic table in the same way. In Europe, though, they are 33rd with 0 points, 2 goals for and 6 against after three matches.
Gil Vicente arrive in better form too. They sit sixth with 14 points from eight matches and are on a three-match winning run, which makes Barcelos a tricky place for Porto to try to steady things.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
