/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.footballwhispers.com%2Fmain%2F2023%2F11%2Fadam.jpg){kind=avatar}
/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.footballwhispers.com%2Fmain%2F2026%2F04%2Fimago1076377273-2.jpg)
Aston Villa travel to Portugal to continue their pre-season preparations against one of its biggest clubs in Porto in a friendly on Saturday night.
Villa got their preparations underway with a dominant 5-0 win against Walsall last time out, while Porto lost 1-0 to Gil Vicente in their opening friendly.
Both sides could also meet in the new season, with both qualified for the Champions League.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Porto vs. Aston Villa key stats
- Porto have lost two of their last three games in all competitions.
- Villa are on a four-match winning run across all competitions.
- Porto were winless in three H2Hs against English opposition last season (D1, L2).
Porto vs. Aston Villa preview: Villans to earn another victory?
Porto vs Aston Villa — Tale of the Tape
| Porto | vs | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (Liga Portugal) | Position | 4th (Premier League) |
| 88 | Points | 65 |
| 66 | Goals For | 56 |
| 18 | Goals Against | 49 |
| 21 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 1st | Home / Away Rank | 4th |
Porto are looking to build on a brilliant season where they won the Liga Portugal title with a whopping 88 points, ahead of rivals Benfica who were unbeaten!
Benfica's manager Jose Mourinho has since left for another stint at Real Madrid, but Francesco Farioli remains in charge of Porto.
To build on their title-winning campaign, the Portuguese champions have made four new signings already, with the most significant being the permanent arrival of key defender Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal.
However, Danny Namaso, Thiago Silva, Yann Karamoh and Luuk de Jong have all left the club, while Samu Aghehowa and Vasco Sousa are injury doubts, and a number of key players from the World Cup will also be absent.
That will also be true for Villa, while Youri Tielemans has also been sold to Manchester United, and Morgan Rogers has joined Chelsea for a British-record £117m fee.
Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Modou Keba Cisse are the players tasked with trying to replace those key departures, but as long as they keep Unai Emery, the Villans will feel they can build on what was a remarkable season.
Indeed, the Spaniard guided them to a Europa League title and a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League, and will be looking for his side to improve even more.
Losing goalkeeper in the World Cup final Emi Martinez will be unavailable along with a number of other key players from the tournament, while Amadou Onana unfortunately picked up a long-term injury on duty with Belgium.
Porto vs. Aston Villa form guide & betting tips
| Porto | vs | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
WWLWL |
Form | DWWWW |
| 5 | Goals For | 16 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 5 |
W |
Friendlies | W |
Whispers predicts: Porto 1-1 Aston Villa
With home advantage on their side, Porto are 21/20 (2.05) favourites to win, but Villa showed in the Europa League they can match high-level European opposition.
Thus, we fancy the Draw at 3/1 (4.00), while BTTS – Yes at 4/7 (1.57) is our next pick given the talent on display, including the new signings.
Under 2.5 goals at 11/8 (2.38) is our final punt, with only 10 goals scored in total in Porto's last five games.
Overall, we are predicting a 1-1 draw, which is available at 7/1 (8.00).
> BTTS – Yes at 4/7 (1.57) | Likelihood: Probable
> Under 2.5 goals at 11/8 (2.38) | Likelihood: Possible
> Draw at 3/1 (4.00) | Likelihood: Outsider