The training pitch at FC Porto buzzed with a different kind of tension this week. After Tuesday’s hard work, three players found themselves nursing some bumps and bruises. For any team, this can spark worry, especially as a new season looms. But here, the news brought more sighs of relief than shouts of alarm.
The main concern focused on Francisco Moura, the skilled left-back. The Dragons, as FC Porto is known, confirmed he had hurt the internal collateral ligament in his left knee. Now, a knee ligament sounds serious, right? It’s a sensitive spot for any athlete. However, my sources tell me it’s not as bad as it sounds. Information gathered by Record, a respected sports newspaper, suggests the injury is minor. Moura should be back on the field within about a week.
This means Moura will miss Sunday’s friendly match against Twente. That’s a small blow, but the bigger picture is brighter. He’s expected to be fully ready for the club’s presentation game. That big match is against Atlético Madrid. More importantly, he’ll be fit for the official start of the new season.
Other players also had minor issues. Defender Martim Fernandes suffered a bruise on his right foot. Luckily, he’s expected to rejoin training as early as tomorrow. Forward Deniz Gül, meanwhile, was just managing his workload. Sometimes, players need to take it easy to avoid bigger problems later on.
It makes sense why some players might feel a bit sore. The team has been putting in serious effort. On Tuesday, the squad completed two full training sessions. They planned to do the same demanding double sessions again on Wednesday. That kind of intensity always leads to a few knocks, but for FC Porto, these seem like small hurdles, not roadblocks, on their path to the new campaign.