Porto aims to strengthen their hold on the second spot in Group H as they continue their Champions League journey against Royal Antwerp on Tuesday night.
Match Preview
Porto started their Group H campaign impressively with a 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk but suffered a 1-0 home loss to Barcelona in their second match in early October.
They returned to winning form with a 4-1 victory over Royal Antwerp, and they can secure their path to the round of 16 with a win.
While Porto cannot qualify this week, a win over Antwerp, combined with a Shakhtar loss to Barcelona, would put them in a commanding position.
They currently stand at third in the Primeira Liga table, but they recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to Estoril.
Porto has a strong home record against Belgian clubs, having won six of their previous nine European contests. However, they experienced a 4-0 defeat to Club Brugge last season.
On the other side, Royal Antwerp is playing in the Champions League group stage for the first time.
They have faced a tough group and are yet to earn a point. Antwerp lost 5-0 to Barcelona and 3-2 to Shakhtar in their previous matches.
In their last encounter, Porto defeated Antwerp 4-1, and the Belgian side will need to win to keep their top-two finish hopes alive.
Antwerp currently sits in sixth place in their domestic league, while Porto has accumulated 22 points from their first ten Primeira Liga matches.
Team News
Porto has six injured players, including Galeno, Wendell, Ivan Jaime, Zaidu Sanusi, Ivan Marcano, and Gabriel Veron.
Pepe Aquino is expected to start, and Mehdi Taremi will partner with Evanilson in attack. Jorge Sanchez will feature in defense.
Royal Antwerp will miss Mandela Keita, Jacob Ondrejka, Anthony Valencia, and Bjorn Engels due to fitness issues.
Vincent Janssen, the leading goalscorer with seven goals, will lead their attack, alongside Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who has netted six times in all competitions.
Predicted Starting Lineups:
Porto:
- Costa;
- Mario, Pepe, Carmo, Sanchez;
- Franco, Varela, Eustaquio, Aquino;
- Evanilson, Taremi
Royal Antwerp:
- Butez;
- De Laet, Alderweireld, Coulibaly, Bataille;
- Vermeeren, Yusuf;
- Muja, Ekkelenkamp, Balikwisha;
- Janssen
Prediction:
We expect Antwerp to score in this match, but Porto’s quality and home advantage should secure a relatively comfortable win for the Portuguese side.
- Our Prediction: Porto 3-1 Royal Antwerp