Liverpool vs Porto 10/04/19

Last Updated on: November 11, 2020

10 April 2019

Current Premier League toppers Liverpool welcome Primera Liga leaders Porto to Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finals tie.

The two sides have met face-to-face in last season’s round of 16, with the PL outfit advancing to the quarter-finals thanks to an outstanding 5-0 win at the Dragao Stadium before the teams have played out a goalless draw in England.

Having racked up a five-game winning run across all competitions, the hosts come into this meeting as huge favorites to secure back-to-back CL semis appearances. The Reds boast an almost perfect home record this season (W17, D3, L1) having won three of four CL home outings (W3, D1) while keeping a clean sheet three times across those clashes. Jurgen Klopp’s men seem to have managed to overcome a slight attacking crisis that has seen them failed to find the net in three of four competitive encounters, as they’ve bagged 2+ match goals in all five of their previous games. However, a potential worry for the Merseysiders could be that they’ve struggled to preserve a clean slate in the same sequence, allowing over 1.5 goals per match once though.

Meanwhile, the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League winners are desperate to book the semi-final ticket for the first time since winning the competition. Just like Liverpool, the visitors go into this meeting off the back of a six-game unbeaten streak across the competitions (W5, D1) having netted 2+ match goals in all five of their triumphs in that period. The Dragons have won two of three CL road fixtures in the group stage (W2, D1), as their only CL away defeat arrived against AS Roma in the round of 16. Interestingly, all four of Porto’s CL road clashes have produced goals on both ends, with three of them ending with 3+ match goals. However, Sérgio Conceição’s men will have to deal with the fact that Porto’s heaviest home and road CL defeats have come against English teams, with both ending with the identical 5-0 scoreline (at home to Liverpool; away to Arsenal).