Just three days after competing in an intense and physical preseason match with the Vancouver Whitecaps, forwards Fanendo Adi, Gaston Fernandez and Darlington Nagbe will be back in the Portland Timbers lineup.

Timbers coach Caleb Porter plans to play Adi and Nagbe together for 45 minutes and Fernandez and forward Maximiliano Urruti together for the other 45 minutes in Wednesday's preseason Simple Invitational match against the Chicago Fire as he evaluates different forward combinations ahead of the club's home opener on March 7.

"Each of those groupings will get 45 minutes," Porter said. "We'll look at those combinations in the game and then we'll look at some younger guys as well."

For much of preseason, Porter has used a pretty consistent starting 11 during scrimmages at practice and in preseason games.

But with just a week and a half left before the scheduled start of the regular season, Porter is hoping to use his club's last two preseason games to make some final evaluations on his formation and lineup.

Timbers playmaker Diego Valeri is still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and is not expected to be healthy enough to rejoin the starting 11 until May.

For most of preseason, Fernandez has taken over Valeri's starting spot in the lineup and Porter has adjusted his formation, so that Fernandez can play as a second forward in a 4-4-2.

Still, Porter has also praised winger Dairon Asprilla throughout preseason. Porter could look to get Asprilla into the starting 11 by sitting Fernandez and moving Nagbe into the No. 10 position, an option that Porter should be able to better evaluate during Wednesday's game.

"It's the dedication that matters to me," said Asprilla, through an interpreter. "It's the hard work that's going to get me to that spot and I'm here to bring what I can and work hard for the team."

Porter's lineup decisions also became a bit trickier on Sunday when defensive midfielder Ben Zemanski, an expected starter, tore his anterior cruciate ligament 26 minutes into a preseason game against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

While Porter said he will most likely replace Zemanski with veteran Jack Jewsbury in the starting 11, he will also use Wednesday's match as a chance to evaluate his younger defensive midfielders, George Fochive and Nick Besler.

With Zemanski out and Timbers captain Will Johnson still recovering from a broken leg, Porter will likely need to use either Fochive or Besler in the 18 on opening day.

Porter said he plans to play Fochive and Besler both at least 60 minutes in Wednesday's match.

"We're looking at some guys that are really close to maybe being in with the first team, at the very least on the bench, and then we want to see where we're at with some of our developmental players, our youngsters," Porter said. "With Ben being out, we'll probably have a little closer eye on some things, like a Nick Besler, a George Fochive, see how they do."

Porter also plans to use Wednesday's game as an opportunity to continue giving some of his key reserves game minutes to develop fitness, as well as get some of his younger players and draft picks some minutes.

Porter said that he may even call in a few T2 players for the game to see how they perform with the first team.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg