Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Buoyed by the Portuguese Super Cup win over Sporting CP, Porto will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they face Gil Vicente on Saturday evening. The Dragons are determined to regain the Primeira Liga trophy, but they will have to do it without influential attacker Mehdi Taremi, who joined Inter on a free transfer. Veteran centre-back Pepe is no longer part of the team.
Os Galos, on the other hand, were having their ups and downs in preseason. The visitors are eager to claim a major scalp in the season opener, but given their negative record at Estadio do Dragao, anything but a routine home win would be a big surprise. Summer recruit Jorge Aguirre is widely expected to make his Gil Vicente debut against Porto. You should bear in mind that last time out the Dragons defeated Os Galos 2-1 at Estadio do Dragao.
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 (Gil Vicente):
Founded in 1924, Gil Vicente are a Portuguese football club that compete in Primeira Liga. The Galos (Roosters) are well known for their red kit, but they wear white shirts and blue shorts when playing on the travels.
Gil Vicente have yet to win a domestic trophy, but they did well to make it to the Taca da Liga final in the 2011/2012 season. The Galos suffered a 2-1 loss to Benfica in the title game at Estadio Cidade de Coimbra. The likes of Rodrigo and Saviola scored for Benfica, with Ze Luis finding the net for Gil Vicente.
The Galos welcome their rivals at Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, the stadium which can hold up to 12,504 people. The venue was opened on May 30, 2014 and it can hold up to 12,504 people. It has to be noted that the team first secured promotion to the Portuguese elite division in 1990.