The Dragão opens a new Primeira Liga campaign with Francesco Farioli sending out a strong Porto eleven, blending established internationals like Diogo Costa and Pepê with ambitious signings Veiga and Kiwior. Alverca, under Sergio Ferreira, arrive as newly promoted underdogs and…
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Sign inFC Porto launch their 2026/27 Primeira Liga title defence on Sunday 9 August when newly-promoted Alverca visit the Estádio do Dragão for the opening round of the regular season. The champions clinched last season's crown with a 1-0 win over this same opponent and now face a Vinicius Jr-backed Alverca side eager to disrupt the established order after returning to the top flight.
Francesco Farioli must reorganise his back line after Jan Bednarek suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain in his right knee during the Super Cup win against Torreense. The Polish centre-back, injured on the criticised Cidade de Coimbra surface, is expected to miss the opener. Nehuén Pérez, recovered from a complete Achilles tendon rupture, is available and could step straight into the starting eleven, with Farioli indicating he does not favour two left-footed centre-backs together — a detail that shapes Otávio's involvement. Cláudio Ramos (thigh), Vasco Sousa, André Miranda, and Samu Aghehowa, still regaining fitness after his ACL injury, are also unavailable. Full-back remains a live issue: Martim Fernandes may again be deployed on the left, a solution Farioli used in last season's Clássicos.
For Alverca, Julian Martinez and Sabit Abdulai are both nursing knee problems ahead of matchday one, thinning the visitors' options in defence and midfield.
Farioli's side built last season's title on an elite defence that conceded 18 goals in 34 matches — 0.53 per game — with Diogo Costa the foundation. They wrapped up the championship against Alverca with two games to spare and began the new campaign by beating Torreense 1-0 in the Super Cup through Victor Froholdt's 38th-minute strike. With an unbeaten pre-season behind them and Costa between the posts again, Porto enter round one as the league's established benchmark.
Fuelled by aggressive scouting, high-profile investment including Vinicius Jr's backing, and a commitment to youth, Alverca have emerged as one of Portuguese football's biggest draws following their return to the Primeira Liga. They are determined to disrupt the status quo and arrive at the Dragão with nothing to lose against the champions who sealed last season's silverware at their expense. Their defensive absences add difficulty, but the club's project has momentum.
If Pérez gets the nod alongside Jakub Kiwior in central defence, the Argentine's first full 90 minutes since his Achilles rupture will be scrutinised. Alverca's best avenue may be to test a centre-back partnership that has not played competitively together, while Porto's full-back uncertainty could create space for the visitors to exploit in wide areas.
The champions begin their title defence at home, and with Benfica and Sporting CP both in action on the same weekend, the margin for a slow start is slim. Porto's next Primeira Liga outing follows against newly-promoted opposition as well, giving Farioli a chance to bed in his reshuffled defence before sterner tests arrive.
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