Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
After dropping two points in the 2-2 draw with Boavista, Porto will be aiming to return to winning way in Primeira Liga when they take on Maritimo at Estadio dos Barreiros on Matchday 20. The Dragons have drawn the previous three league fixtures, and seeing that they are ten points behind league leaders Sporting CP, this has to go down as a must-win game for the reigning champions.
Taremi, who found the net in the local derby at the weekend, should keep his place up front, alongside Marega, while both Otavio and Zaidu Sanusi are rated doubtful for the match. Maritimo are on a five-game losing run in the Portuguese top flight, and given the importance of Monday’s clash for the visitors, away win should be considered. Since Martimo defeated Porto at Estadio do Dragao earlier in the process, the title holders must be hungry for revenge.
Highlighted Player (Charles):
Charles Marcelo da Silva is a Brazilian goalkeeper who plays for Primeira Liga side Maritimo. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on February 4, 1994, Charles started his youth career at Cruzeiro, and in 2014 he moved to fellow Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.
After making nine appearances in the Brazilian top flight for the Vasco da Gama senior team, Charles was loaned to Maritimo in 2015. In 2016 the 185-cm-tall shot-stopper signed a permanent deal with the Portuguese outfit. Charles Marcelo da Silva has 14 caps with the Brazil U17 team, but he has yet to make his debut with the Brazil senior team.
He made his Maritimo debut in the Portuguese top flight on January 15, 2017, in a 3-1 win over Pacos de Ferreira. Charles managed to keep seven clean sheets in 21 appearances for Maritimo in the 2018/2019 Primeira Liga season. His preferred foot is right, and he wears the number 94 jersey.
Highlighted Team (Porto):
Futebol Clube do Porto are one of Portugal’s biggest football clubs playing their matches in front of 50,000 people at their Estadio do Dragao. Porto form biggest rivalries with two other Big Three clubs in Portugal and regular league title contenders – Benfica and Sporting CP. Rivalries between the clubs stem from the historical, political, economical and cultural discrepancies between the cities of Porto and Lisbon. The Dragons, as they are commonly known in Portugal, are the second most successful Portuguese team with a total of 74 trophies to their name.
Porto hold a record of five consecutive league titles which are part of the total tally of 27 Primeira Liga trophies. FC Porto’s success extends to the international scene as well with seven European titles. Two-time European champions from 1987 and 2004, Porto also won two UEFA Cup/Europa League titles, the UEFA Super Cup and the International Cup on two occasions. Together with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, Porto have the most appearances in the UEFA Champions League group stage – the total of 20.