Betfair Live Video: Porto to keep it clean with a home win

Jackson Martinez remains top dog in the Dragao

Reuben Thomas previews a top of the table clash from Portugal and the infamous Superclasico from Buenos Aeries..

FC Porto vs SC Braga
Sunday 17:00

Sunday afternoon and the action is brought to you from the Estadio do Dragao as FC Porto set their sights on SC Braga.

After a disappointing third place finish for Porto last season they are determined to wrestle the title back from Benfica this year. After just six matches they are already lagging four points behind the champs and certainly can't afford to drop any points at home.

Julen Lopetegui took the reigns at Porto in the summer after a successful spell in charge of the Spanish national youth teams.

After the annual sale of top stars that this year included Mangala, Fernando and Iturbe, Porto have allowed their new manager to reinvest a lot of that cash. Adrian, Tello, Aboubakar and Brahimi arrived to boost the attack and Martin Indi and Marcano were brought in to the defence.

Star striker Jackson Martinez remains the main man and will captain the side on Sunday in Helton's absence. The big Colombian striker came off the bench on Tuesday night to bag two late goals to earn his side a point in Donetsk in the Champions League.

That trip to Ukraine combined with last weekend's tough away draw against Sporting suggests that Porto may be jaded for Sunday's game but in their own stadium they are always a formidable force.

In total Porto have now gone five games without a win but at home they are cruising. They are on a streak of six home games without conceding and they have won ten of the last twelve against Braga on their own patch.

Visitors Braga also have a new coach this season in Sergio Conceicao and he already seems to be having a positive impression. Certainly they have improved at the back where the additions of Wallace and Danilo have strengthened their resistance.

Up front Alan and Eder carry the most threat to opposition defences and last week's 3-0 win over Rio Ave highlighted Braga's quality.

Unfortunately their away form has been a disappointment so far and they are still awaiting their first road victory this season in fact they have now failed to win in fourteen of their last fifteen trips and against Porto's impressive home record that does not bode well.

With the league's two tightest defences on show don't expect a gluttony of goals on Sunday but do expect the hosts to claim another home win.

Recommended Bets
Back Porto to win @ 1.51/2
Back Porto clean sheet @ 1.9620/21

River Plate vs Boca Juniors
Sunday 21:15

Sunday evening sees us visit Buenos Aires for the big one, the Superclasico between River plate and Boca Juniors, the derby that makes the Old Firm look like a casual kick in the park.

Not only are River the defending Super Champions, they also sit top of the league and unbeaten after nine games played.

An impressive recent record sees them on a four game winning streak at home, scoring at least two goals and winning both halves.

Boca can take heart however, they won this fixture at the Monumental 1-0 in October last year and, as with almost any derby around the world, form can sometimes be thrown out of the window.

Boca will be hard pressed to stop the in form strikers of River Plate, especially Colombian forward Teofilo Gutierrez who has notched an extremely impressive eight goals from seven starts.

He is backed up by Uruguayan Rodrigo Mora who has four from nine and it is clear that veteran defender Mariano Raul Echeverria and co. will have to be at the top of their game in order to keep Boca in it.

Boca's best chance most likely hinges on winning the battle for the centre of the park with ex Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago the star name there. A battle it may well be as recently this fixture has been especially feisty with four red cards in the last six encounters so expect the referee to be busy.

Despite the unpredictable nature of a derby, and despite the fact that the last six games at River have provided an even split of home and away wins and draws, you have to back River in the form they currently find themselves.

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Back River to win @ 1.684/6