Porto vs Estoril Betting Tips

Assuming there are no cup competition visits, Porto are now five seasons without a win against Maritimo on their own patch. Perhaps a draw wasn’t such a bad result after all! It was a stifling game and a free header five minutes in was probably just the start Maritimo needed as they sought a result that would make amends for their own disappointing opening weekend defeat.

In general, there’s little value in reading too much into one game, especially an away game during the second weekend of the season. However, there were perhaps a couple of notable factors at both ends of the field for Porto. Jackson Martinez’s absence was more notable against Maritimo’s Brazilian duo – Deyvidson and Raul Silva. There were also a couple of scary moments defending against the aerial ball, which is a dangerous weakness. You can carry the play and concede from a set piece.

Estoril are traditionally a difficult opposition. Their 4-0 defeat to Benfica did not reflect the balance of the game and some of that fortune came around with a 2-0 victory over Moreirense last weekend. They lost striker Seba to Greek side Olympiakos mid-week, but their attack seemed to function pretty well and they’re always an effective team in terms of defensive structure.

These two sides last met in April in a game that Estoril would rather forget – they lost 5-0. However, the previous two encounters might provide more inspiration where the underdogs drew 2-2 and stole a 1-0 win away from home.

Three Reasons for Betting Tips

1. Porto will come back strong

We’re not expecting any sort of hangover or issues after Porto were held to a slightly disappointing draw last week. Quite the opposite, back at home, they will score goals and take a comfortable victory.

2. Estoril have the right attack to score

However, we’re not expecting Estoril to get shut out either. They’ve got a good aerial attack, they are an organised side, they score from set pieces and in general they’ve got a good make-up to cause Porto’s defence some significant issues. They’ll score at least one.

3. Won’t get too defensive

It’s never easy to predict the rhythm of a football match, but we like the possibility of Porto coming out hard in this game and creating an open and entertaining match against another solid Primeira Liga side.