Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
All eyes will be on Estadio do Dragao when Porto and Boavista face each other in the local derby on Matchday 19. The Dragons dropped four points in back-to-back draws with Belenenses and Braga, meaning that this has to go down as a must-win game for the hosts. Jesus Corona is banned for the match, while boss Sergio Conceicao will watch the game from the stands following his sending off in the 2-2 draw with Braga.
The Black and Whites, on the other hand, suffered a dip in form, with the team losing to both Gil Vicente and Nacional in the previous two league fixtures. Since important midfielder Javi Garcia is sidelined through suspension, we believe that punters can find value in betting on the title-chasing side. In the first half of the season Porto rolled over Boavista 5-0, which is yet another reason why home win should be considered.
Highlighted Player (Pepe):
Pepe is a professional footballer who plays for Porto as a defender. The Portuguese international played for Maritimo at the start of his senior career and in 2004 he moved to Porto. After making 64 league appearances for the Dragons, he signed a contract with Real Madrid in 2007 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
Pepe is well known for his hard tackles and referees often show him red card. The Real Madrid centre back often played as a defensive midfielder under Jose Mourinho and it has to be noted that he scored five goals in all competitions in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign.
The Portuguese footballer won his second Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in the 2015/2016 season and later in 2016 he helped A Selecao win the European Championship trophy. Portugal defeated France in the title game and Pepe played an important role in Fernando Santos’ team in the Euro 2016 final. The Real Madrid defender was born in Maceio, Brazil on 26 February, 1983.
Highlighted Team (Boavista):
Founded on August 1, 1903, Boavista are a Portuguese club that welcome their rivals at Estadio do Bessa. The capacity of the venue is 28,263 and it was built back in 1911. As Panteras (The Panthers) are well known for their black and white shirts and white is the dominant colour of their away kit.
Famous Fellow city club Porto are considered Boavista’s main rivals and the two teams face each other in O Derby da Invicta and there have always been fireworks in clashes between the two local rivals. A Panteras did well to win their first and only Primeira Liga trophy in the 2000/2001 season, with the team finishing the campaign only one point clear of Porto.
Boavista have five Taca de Portugal trophies (1974/75, 1975/76, 1978/79, 1991/92, 1996/97), with the team winning Supertaca de Portugal three times (1979, 1992, 1997). Jose Bosingwa, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Nuno Gomes are the notable footballers who played for Boavista in the past, to name just a few.