Vying for a place in the Europa League's last 16, Portuguese giants Porto and Serie A side Roma will meet for the first leg of their playoff on Thursday.
The Giallorossi head for Estadio do Dragao having lost all three previous ties between the two clubs; this time, the winners will face either Athletic Bilbao or Roma's arch-rivals Lazio.
Match preview
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Narrowly avoiding an early exit, Porto edged through to the playoffs as one of 16 teams placed between ninth and 24th in the Europa League's final league-phase table.
Their nervy 1-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on the last matchday proved to be significant, as a draw would have seen them eliminated by compatriots Braga.
New coach Martin Anselmi - who had just arrived from Mexican side Cruz Azul - steered the Dragons to success on his dugout debut, as they bounced back from a damaging home defeat to Olympiacos one week earlier.
Then, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Rio Ave in the Primeira Liga, before tackling old foes Sporting Lisbon last weekend: a dramatic 94th-minute equaliser by Danny Namaso rescued one point, just when it seemed Sporting would win at the Dragao for the first time in nine years.
Sitting a distant third in the standings - in addition to crashing out of both domestic cups - Porto have now failed to win in five straight league matches for the first time this century.
So they will be intent on progressing further in the Europa League, despite being weighed down by a dismal record. The Dragons have won just five of their last 25 knockout matches in UEFA competition, losing 16 - albeit four of those wins came on home turf.
In another respect, history will be on their side, as all three previous ties against Roma have seen the Portuguese side go through: in the 1981-82 Cup Winners' Cup, then the 2016-17 Champions League qualifiers, and finally the Champions League's last 16 six years ago.
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On that occasion, Porto eked out a 4-3 aggregate win after extra time, but Roma's recent European feats suggest the Italian club may be ready to end that streak.
The Giallorossi - who finished one point above their hosts in the league phase - were Conference League winners in 2022, before reaching the final and then semi-finals of UEFA's second-tier tournament in successive seasons.
Not guaranteed to survive even the first phase this term, Roma produced an impressive 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on the final matchday, thereby booking their playoff place and setting up a potential last-16 clash with city rivals Lazio.
Like Porto, the capital-city club are performing below par on the domestic scene, sitting ninth in Serie A after Sunday's 1-0 win over Venezia, and having recently exited the Coppa Italia.
After a prolonged period of instability at Stadio Olimpico, interim coach Claudio Ranieri - who will lead his boyhood club until the end of the season - has steadied the ship, and he would love to sign off a storied career by lifting some silverware.
However, to do so, the 73-year-old must improve two dire records: Ranieri has lost nine of his last 11 knockout matches in continental competition, and all three games he managed in previous spells as Roma boss ended in 3-2 defeats.
Furthermore, before setting off for northern Portugal, the Giallorossi have won just three of their last 19 Europa League fixtures away from home.
Team News
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Martin Anselmi has deployed a back three since arriving at Porto, and that should continue against opponents who usually line up in a similar manner, with goalkeeper Diogo Costa starting behind a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Ivan Marcano, Marko Grujic and Martim Fernandes are still sidelined by injury, while the hosts can no longer call upon Nico Gonzalez, who scored the winner in their final league-phase fixture before moving to Manchester City.
Up front, star striker Samu Aghehowa may not have scored in any of his last six appearances, but the Spain international has already notched five times in this season's Europa League. Teenage sensation Rodrigo Mora could play part of his supporting cast.
With Brazilian centre-back Otavio returning from suspension, Ze Pedro may drop out of the starting XI.
While Danny Namaso would miss the second leg if he is booked, Roma pair Mats Hummels and Alexis Saelemaekers will also walk that tightrope on Thursday.
The latter and Leandro Paredes were rested at the weekend, but both are now set to return, alongside midfielder Manu Kone, who served a one-match ban against Venezia.
Recent signings Devyne Rensch and Victor Nelsson are also available, but fellow new boys Lucas Gourna-Douath and Anass Salah-Eddine have been left off the visitors' UEFA squad list.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Djalo, Perez, Otavio; Mario, Eustaquio, Varela, Moura; Pepe, Mora; Aghehowa
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Kone, Paredes, Angelino; Dybala, Pisilli; Dovbyk
We say: Porto 1-1 Roma
Unbeaten in eight Serie A matches - after losing seven of the previous nine - Roma have certainly turned a corner, but they still lack resilience on the road.
Now adapting to the tactics of another new coach, Porto are enduring a tough time themselves, so the Dragons may have to settle for a first-leg draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
