Sérgio Conceição arrived at FC Porto in 2017 and, since then, has marked a somewhat smiling trend in the final stretch of the season, regardless of the number of titles won in each of them. Considering the three games that preceded all the vacations of the last seasons, the largely victorious record of the dragons only faced two moments of exception. The first  happened in 2018/19, as a result of the draw against Sporting in Jamor (2-2), leaving the lions smiling on penalties (5-4). The second and last one was a defeat against Sporting de Braga (2-1), on the last day of the I League, in 2019/20. This is, therefore, a fact that deserves all the attention from FC Porto's last three opponents this season, starting with Boavista, followed by Sporting de Braga and ending with the most recent champion Sporting, again in the final of a Portuguese Cup. Rúben Amorim (and not only) will thus try to 'feint' the logic of recent years.

2017/18	Marítimo 0-1 FC Porto (I League)	FC Porto 2-1 Feirense (I League)	Vitória SC 0-1 FC Porto (I League)
2018/19	Nacional 0-4 FC Porto (I League)	FC Porto 2-2 Sporting (I League)	Sporting 2-2 FC Porto (5-4 p.k.) (Cup)
2019/20	FC Porto 6-1 Moreirense (I League)	Sp. Braga 2-1 FC Porto (I League)	Benfica 1-2 FC Porto (Cup)
2020/21	FC Porto 5-1 Farense (I League)	Rio Ave 0-3 FC Porto (I League)	FC Porto 4-0 B SAD (I League)
2021/22	Benfica 0-1 FC Porto (I League)	FC Porto 2-0 Estoril (I League)	FC Porto 3-1 Tondela (Cup)
2022/23	Famalicão 2-4 FC Porto (I League)	FC Porto 3-0 Vitória SC (I League)	Sp. Braga 0-2 FC Porto (Cup)

Curiously, the Braga team is the penultimate opponent of the blue and white team (similar to what happened in 2020), with a game that could even influence the decisions of the podium, followed by the lions again as the last opponent of a season, also in the final of a Portuguese Cup. Will there be room to 'imitate' 2018/19?

Rúben Amorim will have to 'imitate'... Marcel Keizer

Ten years after being in a Portuguese Cup final - as a player, on May 26, 2013, in Benfica's defeat against Vitória SC (1-2) - Rúben Amorim is back in Jamor to compete in the queen competition, being precisely the only trophy missing from his record, now as a coach.

The last time Sporting won the Portuguese Cup was precisely within one of the exceptions to FC Porto's 'logic' in the Sérgio Conceição era, in 2019, when Marcel Keizer was the coach of the lions. At the time, lions and dragons closed the regular time with a 1-1 on the scoreboard, ended the extra time with a 2-2 and the decisions of the penalties (5-4) would leave the Alvalade emblem in celebration - Sebastián Coates was on one side, Pepe on the other, being the only two 'survivors'.

The last Clássico between FC Porto and Sporting in a Portuguese Cup final was held on May 25, 2019.© Getty Images  

In such a scenario, the most recent coach to be crowned Portuguese champion will have to repeat the feat of the Dutch coach to end the season smiling, in what would be Sporting's seventh 'double'. FC Porto, on the other hand, does not know what it is like to finish a season without titles since 2016/17, precisely before the arrival of Sérgio Conceição, so it sees the Portuguese Cup as the last chance to maintain this record.

It should be recalled that the Clássico that ends the current season will take place on May 26, at 5:15 pm, in Jamor, and that the tickets start to be sold this Wednesday.

Leia Também: Atenção, Sporting e FC Porto. Já há data para a venda de bilhetes na Taça (Portuguese version)