FC Porto go into Friday's Portuguese Cup tie against USC Paredes with three players still in the medical bulletin and 11 others away on international duty. Chris Smalling, Gabriel Mec and Vasco Sousa were still not fully available when the squad returned to work, with the match set for 20:45 at the Estádio do Dragão in the fourth round.
Porto's availability issue
A Bola reported that Smalling and Vasco Sousa remained in a restricted training regime, while Gabriel Mec received treatment and did gym work. The same session had 11 Porto players with their national teams, which left Francesco Farioli working around a reduced group before a cup match that is not being approached with a full squad.
That comes during a strong domestic spell. Porto are top of the Primeira Liga with 33 points from 11 matches, and they have won their last five matches in all competitions.
Paredes are not a soft draw
The warning on the other side is simple enough. Paredes have won three of their last five cup matches, so Porto are not going into the tie facing a routine afternoon at home.
The gap in resources should still matter, but the cup tie will be shaped by who is actually available to train and play on Friday. Porto have enough form to back themselves, yet the medical bulletin and the international break absences mean Farioli will still have decisions to make before kick-off at the Dragão.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
