Big Match Breakdown: Liverpool v Porto
Published:
Jurgen Klopp’s men homing on quarter-finals
Barring a collapse even beyond Liverpool’s wildest capabilities, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds should be progressing through to the Champions League quarter-finals tonight.
They’re already 5-0 up against Porto thanks to a blistering first-leg performance in Portugal on Valentine’s Day.
But the Anfield outfit still have a job to do on home soil, and Klopp won’t want to lose momentum ahead of a trip to Manchester United on Saturday.
Here’s all the key info for tonight’s game…
Head-to-Head
Liverpool enjoy playing Porto. The 5-0 thrashing on Valentine’s Day made it three wins and two draws for the Reds against the Portuguese side.
It may also be worth noting that in the previous two seasons the sides have met (2000/2001 UEFA Cup & 2006/2007 Champions League) Liverpool went on to reach the Final.
Porto have only scored two goals in those five clashes, while the Anfield outfit have netted 12 times.
Likely XIs
Klopp is expected to make a couple of changes this evening, but as mentioned, he’ll be out to balance resting players with maintaining momentum ahead of Old Trafford.
So there could be starts for Adam Lallana and James Milner, while Dominic Solanke will also be hoping to get a rare outing.
As for Porto, they’re in a similar position. They can’t achieve much on Merseyside tonight, but they’ll be out to balance freshness and momentum as they hold a five point lead at the top of the Primeira Liga.
Key Battles
This tie is done and dusted, to all intents and purposes. But that should make for a fairly open encounter.
Can Porto do a better job at controlling Liverpool’s pace and movement? If not, they’re in for another long night.
Match Odds
Liverpool have lost one of their last 23 home games. They’re 1/2 favourites to win tonight. A Draw is 10/3 while Porto are 11/2 to restore some dignity with an away success.
Mohamed Salah is 14/5 favourite to score first, while Sadio Mane is 5/1 to open the scoring having netted a hat-trick in the first-leg.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
