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Porto without Martinez for Champions League Basel clash

| 10.03.2015
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Porto host Basel in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie, and are odds-on at 1/2 with Coral to win in 90 minutes.

The score from the last leg stands at 1-1 which means Julen Lopetegui’s side are still unbeaten in the tournament this term, and have proved resilient, losing just three in all competitions. However, a big miss for them against the Swiss side will be top scorer and lethal hitman, Jackson Martinez.

A Danilo penalty in the last 15 minutes rescued a draw for the Portuguese side in the first leg and the highly-rated Brazilian right back, who is attracting the attention of a number of top European clubs, most notably European champions Real Madrid, is 13/2 in the anytime market.

Since the first leg, the hosts have won every match, scoring six and keeping clean sheets in each. Cristian Tello has notched four in his last two, including a hat-trick against rivals Sporting Lisbon, and, as a result, is 5/1 to break the deadlock and 7/1 to dispatch two or more.

Vincent Aboubakar is likely to replace Martinez up front for the hosts, and the Cameroon striker has two in three Champions League appearances this campaign. The 23-year-old is 4/1 to open the scoring.

Basel, meanwhile, have never won in Portugal, though they travel there under the guidance of Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa, who returns to his homeland and will be determined to change their record. To progress, they are priced at 3/1.

Club top-scorer, Shkelzen Gashi with 16 goals in all competitions this season, is very good value at 5/1 to net anytime, while striker Marco Streller, who has hit eight, has 10/3 odds in the same market.

Sousa’s side have won their last two coming into this match, amassing four goals and conceding none, with Gashi bagging a brace and Strellar netting once last time out in the 3-0 victory over FC Thun.

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Author

Matt Haynes

A long-suffering Leeds fan, Matt studied Sports Journalism at university, and has a plethora of multi-industry experience. Having worked on behalf of multiple hedge funds and top-tier investment banks in executive search, he has also had a stint with the BBC and the Press Association. Outside of work, he pursues entrepreneurial activities and likes to keep fit.
Although he has interviewed current England manager Roy Hodgson as well as Rafa Benitez and a number of other names, he is honoured to have spent time in the company of Gordon Banks. Matt enjoys cultivating long-lasting professional and personal relationships, is solution orientated, and supports Coral’s sports content provision.