FC Porto lost to Braga without Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira at the weekend, and their trophy chances are increasingly hanging by a thread.
PORTO, PORTUGAL: Fábio Vieira of FC Porto looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between FC Porto and FC Midtjylland at Estadio do Dragao on December 12, 2024. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira has been a key player for FC Porto recently, providing a goal contribution in each of their four games leading up to Saturday’s match against SC Braga.
Yet Vieira didn’t have the chance to keep that form going at the weekend, as he was serving a suspension.
After scoring against Arouca in Porto’s previous game, the midfielder picked up a yellow card for a foul, his fifth of the season. As a result, he served a one-match ban during the Braga fixture.
PORTO, PORTUGAL: Fabio Vieira of FC Porto gestures with the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between FC Porto and Olympiacos FC at Estadio do Dragao on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
Photo by Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images
Vieira’s importance was underlined by Porto’s performance, with the team losing 1-0 without him. The team only had seven shots all game, their lowest total in a league fixture since October 6th, 2024.
Porto are now well off the pace in the Liga Portugal, sitting nine points off league leaders Sporting, with Benfica also six points ahead with a game in hand.
The team will now be looking backwards as well as forwards, with Braga catching up to Porto’s points total. Vieira’s side have a goal difference lead of 10 (+29 vs +19), but any further dropped points will give Braga the chance to enter the top three.
Fabio Vieira playing for FC Porto (Photo via Porto on Twitter)
Photo via Porto on Twitter
Porto have already been eliminated from the domestic cups and the Europa League, so the only things they still have to play for are league position and European qualification.
Only the top two in Portugal have the chance to qualify for the Champions League, and only third place can qualify for the Europa League. Should Porto drop to fourth, they’d be playing Europa Conference League qualifiers this summer.
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