FC Porto will welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Estadio Do Dragao in search of their first win in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Venue: Estádio do Dragão (Porto)
Key Statistics
FC Porto have lost three of their last four UCL home games (W1).
They have won all but one of their last 13 games at home (L1).
They have scored 3+ goals in five of their last six games at home
Bayer Leverkusen have failed to score in three of their last five UCL away games (W1, D1, L3).
They have won just one of their last six games (W2, D3).
Leverkusen have recorded a first-half shutout in their last four away clashes against Portuguese opponents.
Head to head
Bayer Leverkusen won the two previous meetings between both sides.
Latest performances in all competitions
FC Porto: W-D-L-W-L
Bayer Leverkusen: L-D-W-D-L
FC Porto
FC Porto will look to get their first win in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) this season when they host Bayer Leverkusen this Tuesday.
The Portuguese side are a household name when it comes to the UEFA Champions League with two winner’s medal to show for it, having won the 1986/1987 and 2003/2004 edition. But they face the prospect of crashing out of the competition in the Group stage after failing to win any of their opening two games so far this season.
Sergio Conceicao’s side were beaten at home by Club Brugge in their last fixture in the competition, with the visitors scoring four goals without response. The loss left Porto at rock bottom of Group B, with zero points and a goal difference of minus five, after conceding six goals in their last two matches and scoring just one.
Despite their lethargic start to the Champions League campaign, FC Porto have been in a sensational form in the Portuguese PL, with one loss, one draw and six wins one of the latter being a 4-1 hammering of Braga last weekend.
Conceicao will now be hoping for the same sort of performance from his boys when they take on a flaccid Bayer Leverkusen side as the race for qualifications heats up.
However, FC Porto are winless in their last three meetings with the Germans, picking up just one draw and the other two ending in a defeat to the away team. With both teams recording contrasting results over the weekend, a first win for the Portuguese side may well be in the cards.
Possible FC Porto starting line-up
Diogo Costa; Zaidu Sanusi, Ivan Marcano, Pepe, Joao Mario; Mateus Uribe, Otavio, Bruno Costa; Pepe, Mehdi Taremi, Evanilson.
Injured: Fernando Andrade
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have started the season rather miserably, picking up just one win in eight games, to sit in 17th place in the Bundesliga table.
Die Werkself were thrashed 4-0 by Bayern Munich in round eight of the German Bundesliga, and further plunged the club down the league table and mount more pressure on head coach Gerardo Seoane who has come under fire in recent times for the rot that has hit Leverkusen this season, leaving them at the mercy of relegation.
The Swiss coach will be keen to guide his side to avoid defeat against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League and give himself more breathing space to find a solution for the bad run of form.
With just three points separating them from first-placed Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen will come into this game extra motivated, knowing that a win may be enough to bring them level on points with the Group leaders who face a more challenging test against Atletico Madrid.
The last time both teams met in a European Competition back in the 2020 Europa League season, Bayer Leverkusen ran out 5-2 winners on aggregate. As such, the German side will fancy their chances of getting another great result against Sergio Conceicao’s side.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen starting line-up
Lukas Hradecky; Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah, Mitchel Bakker; Robert Andrich, Robert Andrich; Kerem Demirbay, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Moussa Diaby; Patrik Schick.
Injured: Exequiel Palacios, Florian Wirtz, Karim Bellarabi
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
FC Porto 1-1 Leverkusen
