It seems a long time ago since Porto swept all before them year after year in Portugal and a deep run in European competition was the norm for the Blue and Whites.

As well as the likelihood that Porto will soon be experiencing a fourth straight season without silverware of any sort, the club’s financial malaise has only added to the downbeat mood at the Estádio do Dragão.

But are Porto really in such an irrecuperable position? Jack Flanagan, a keen follower of Portuguese football and a Porto fan, argues all is not lost and that there is a way back for the Dragons, even it if means taking a leaf out of the enemy’s book…

This Saturday’s ‘Clássico’ hogged much of the attention going into Gameweek 30 of the Primeira Liga, attracting the care of none other than FC Porto, who would’ve been eager to see Sporting claw crucial points away first placed Benfica.

The Eagles managed to overcome a pending defeat at the Alvalade, but a 1-1 draw between the two Lisbon sides still left the door semi-open for Nuno Espírito Santo’s men to close in on the league leaders, with a game versus Feirense in clear sight.

The team from Santa Maria da Feira had caused Porto problems before the turn of the year and would go on to throw another banana skin in the way of the Estádio do Dragão outfit, as a Vaná-inspired Feirense grabbed a goalless draw to maintain the three-point gap between 1st and 2nd at the top of the Liga NOS table.

Sporting 1-1 Benfica

Benfica took a huge step to beating Porto to the title when Victor Lindelöf’s stunning freekick levelled the score in a scrappy but engrossing Lisbon derby.

Despite all of the unfortunate off-field news in Portugal, it was a game played in a good spirit. It began with an embarrassing Ederson error that led to a penalty scored by Adrien Silva.

Both teams battled hard in midfield but it was the defender whose rocket strike finally broke a resilient Sporting defence at the Alvalade.

Last year Benfica took a massive step towards winning their third consecutive Portuguese title with a 1-0 victory at Alvalade late in the season. One year on, and a repeat result in tomorrow’s Lisbon derby will leave the Eagles on the verge of making it four straight championship triumphs for the first time in their history.

For that reason alone, Sporting would love to get one over their fierce city rivals. Should the home team win, they will cut the gap to Benfica to five points. It still would appear to be an insurmountable deficit to make up considering only four rounds of matches remain after this weekend. Having said that, just a few weeks ago Benfica were 12 points ahead of the Lions…

More realistically, the three points may keep Sporting’s season alive, if only in the fight for the runners-up spot, which brings the prize of automatic qualification for the Champions League.