Both sides arrive with perfect records and clean sheets, but the teamsheets tell a different story — Porto are missing six regulars and Arouca seven, turning this into a trial of squad depth rather than a straightforward clash of in-form first elevens. Porto’s rotated side still…
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Sign inFC Porto welcome Arouca on Sunday evening for a Primeira Liga matchday three encounter. The 20:30 local time kick-off pits the early league leaders against a visiting side that has also made a perfect start to the campaign. Porto, playing at home, will be without a significant portion of their squad as they aim to maintain their 100 per cent record.
FC Porto are preparing for the visit of Arouca with seven first-team players on the treatment table. According to reports from O Jogo, goalkeeper Cláudio Ramos, midfielder Alan Varela, winger Vasco Sousa, and forwards André Miranda and Samu are all in conditioned training, while defender Martim Fernandes has been definitively ruled out due to a muscle injury. Polish youngster Oskar Pietuszewski is also absent, undergoing treatment and gym work. The lengthy injury list has forced manager to call up B team players Martim Chelmik, Eirik Granaas, Duarte Cunha, and Tiago Andrade to train with the senior squad. In brighter news, Diogo Costa is set to make his 250th appearance for the club, a remarkable milestone for the Portugal international goalkeeper.
Arouca have no reported injury concerns and are expected to field a similar side to the one that routed their previous opponents. South Korean playmaker Lee Hyun-ju, deployed as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, started that match and recorded an assist, while summer signing Park Si-hoo was named among the substitutes. The visitors arrive with a fully fit squad and growing confidence.
Porto have begun the 2026 Primeira Liga campaign in commanding fashion. Two wins from two outings have yielded four goals scored and none conceded, placing them top of the early standings. The defence, marshalled by the ever-present Diogo Costa, has been watertight, while the attack has found the net with regularity despite the ongoing injury disruption. The team’s ability to grind out results while short-handed has been an early hallmark of their season.
Arouca have also enjoyed a perfect start to the league season, collecting three points from their solitary fixture before this weekend. Their most recent performance was a statement 4-0 victory in which they scored three first-half goals and added a fourth deep into stoppage time. Lee Hyun-ju was instrumental, creating the second goal with a composed assist after a corner-kick scramble. The result briefly lifted Arouca above Porto in the table and underlined their credentials as a side capable of troubling the established hierarchy.
The standout narrative surrounds Diogo Costa’s 250th Porto appearance. The 26-year-old has been a bedrock for club and country, and reaching such a milestone in front of the home support adds emotional weight to the occasion. His composure and shot-stopping will be tested by an Arouca attack that struck four times last time out and possesses a creative hub in Lee Hyun-ju. How Porto’s makeshift backline complements their experienced goalkeeper could determine whether the hosts maintain their perfect defensive record.
Porto will aim to navigate their injury crisis and mark a special evening with another victory, while Arouca look to carry their early momentum into one of the toughest away trips in Portuguese football. The outcome will shape the very top of the Primeira Liga table heading into the international break.
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