In brief
Porto have won all eight league matches so far, and a win at Gil Vicente on 24 October would make it nine, the second-best league start in club history.
A 1-0 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven was Porto's third straight European defeat this season, after a 3-2 loss at Real Betis.
William Gomes has a grade 2 sprain of his right ankle, and Vasco Sousa is recovering from a serious fracture of the fibula in his right leg.
The fixture
FC Porto travel to the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos to face Gil Vicente in the ninth round of the Primeira Liga, with kickoff at 20:30 on 24 October, Portugal time. Sport TV 1 will broadcast the match. Luís Godinho, a referee from the Évora football association, will take charge, assisted by Pedro Martins and Gonçalo Freire, with Daniel Pinto as fourth official, Pedro Ferreira as VAR and Leonel Ferreira as AVAR. Francesco Farioli's side tops the table with 24 points from eight matches, five ahead of Benfica in second and six ahead of Sporting in third.
A start the club has rarely matched
Porto have won all eight league matches so far, which already equals the eight-win opening led by Jesualdo Ferreira in 2007/08. A ninth straight win would give Farioli the second-best league start in the club's history and the best in 87 years, according to the preview. Only Mihaly Siska, who led the club through 13 straight wins in 1939/40, has done better, and that run ended in a 4-3 defeat to Sporting. SAPO also noted that four of the five teams that opened a season with nine or more straight wins went on to win the title. The chart below sets the three runs side by side.
- Mihaly Siska, 1939/40
- 13 wins
- Jesualdo Ferreira, 2007/08
- 8 wins
- Francesco Farioli, 2026/27 so far
- 8 wins
Data from the article text
Champions League doubts and Farioli's reply
The trip to Barcelos follows a 1-0 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, the third straight European defeat this season after a 3-2 loss at Real Betis. Porto have no points from their first three Champions League matches. Farioli rejected the idea that his side had been making excuses and said the club had suffered financially from two years outside the competition. He also played down Diogo Costa's remark that opponents now understand how Porto play, saying the goalkeeper meant that rivals study and copy a team that sets a good reference. Farioli expects a difficult game in Barcelos.
“We have to be focused on a very difficult away game, because of the atmosphere and the quality of Gil Vicente.”
Team news and probable line-ups
William Gomes is sidelined with a grade 2 sprain of his right ankle, while Vasco Sousa is still recovering from a serious fracture of the fibula in his right leg. The rest of the squad is available. Farioli hopes Gomes returns quickly.
“I hope William Gomes returns as quickly as possible, but we will have to see his progress in the coming weeks.”
The preview expects few changes from the side that lost to PSV, with Martim Fernandes likely to come in at left-back in place of Zaidu. SAPO's probable Porto line-up includes Diogo Costa, Alberto Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Pablo Rosario, Froholdt, Gabri Veiga, Pepê, Pietuszewski and Samu. Gil Vicente's probable XI features Lucão, Ricardo Esgaio, Tidjany Touré and Mohamed Kaba.
Gil Vicente and Barcelos history
Gil Vicente, on 14 points, arrive after a 2-1 win over Sporting de Braga at the Pedreira. That result led to the dismissal of coach Carlos Vicens, and Luís Pinto's side has three straight wins behind it. Porto's last three visits to Barcelos produced one win, a 2-0 victory last season, a draw in 2023/24 and a defeat in 2024/25.
Other fixtures and the wider table
Estrela da Amadora host Casa Pia at 15:30 and Alverca face Arouca at 18:00 on the same day. Vitória de Guimarães beat Marítimo 5-0 on Friday, 23 October, moving them to 11th with eight points, level with Marítimo in 13th. Sporting, third in the table, host Académico de Viseu on Sunday, 25 October, and Benfica, second, travel to Santa Clara on Monday, 26 October.