Both on the hunt for back-to-back wins in Champions League Group H, Porto and Barcelona prepare for battle at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday evening.
Sergio Conceicao's side put Shakhtar Donetsk to the sword 3-1 in their continental opener, while the Spanish champions produced a five-star performance to destroy Royal Antwerp.
Match preview
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The 46,000-strong crowd at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion certainly got their money's worth in the first half of Porto's showdown with Shakhtar Donetsk two weeks ago, as the two Group F hopefuls convened in Germany amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the Ukrainian outfit's homeland.
Four strikes flew into the back of the net within 30 minutes of kickoff, as Galeno's early opener was cancelled out by a Kevin Kelsy header, but Shakhtar were only back on level terms for a whole two minutes, as Galeno capitalised on a defensive error to restore his side's lead before Mehdi Taremi picked out the bottom corner to complete the rout.
Sitting pretty in second place in Group H after one game, Porto followed up their opening Champions League victory by scraping past Gil Vicente 2-1 in Primeira Liga action, but their seven-game unbeaten streak came to an end in Friday's beating at the hands of Benfica, as Angel Di Maria netted the only goal of the contest.
Defeat to the reigning Portuguese champions marked a first reverse for Conceicao's side also losing 2-0 to the Eagles in the Super Cup - which coincidentally marked the only previous time this term that they failed to score - but the hosts have an 11-game unbeaten home run to protect on Wednesday evening.
Porto have also navigated their last three Champions League matches at the Estadio do Dragao without suffering defeat, but they are still waiting for their first home clean sheet of the season, and Barcelona needed no second invitation to capitalise on defensive frailties on matchday one.
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Welcoming 40,000 fans to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as renovations continue at Camp Nou, playing on unfamiliar territory has not fazed Barcelona one bit so far this season, as Xavi's side tore Belgium's Royal Antwerp to shreds in a 5-0 thrashing a fortnight ago.
Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix stole the show with two goals and an assist for Robert Lewandowski, while Gavi's effort and an unfortunate own goal from Jelle Bataille also contributed to the visitors' downfall, as Barca cemented their position at the top of the group early doors.
The visit of Sevilla in Friday's La Liga battle was a more frustrating affair for the Catalonians, but with 76 minutes on the clock, the returning Sergio Ramos bundled Lamine Yamal's cross into his own net to gift the holders all three points, keeping them one point behind his old employers Real Madrid in the process.
Now travelling across the Iberian Peninsula with seven wins to show from their last eight contests - the one aberration being a 2-2 draw with Mallorca - Barca seek to improve a measly record of just two wins from their last seven Champions League away matches, and the head-to-head column certainly makes for pleasant reading for Xavi's charges.
Indeed, Barcelona have prevailed in each of their last four meetings with Porto, but it has been over 12 years since the two sides last locked horns in a competitive fixture, with La Blaugrana triumphing 2-0 in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas.
Team News
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Porto boss Conceicao is confirmed to be without 40-year-old captain Pepe for Wednesday's affair, as the former Real Madrid man is nursing a muscular problem; in his place, Fabio Cardoso received a 19th-minute red card against Benfica.
With Ivan Marcano out for months due to a cruciate ligament rupture, Cardoso will be fine to deputise here if need be before serving a domestic suspension, while Evanilson (knee), Gabriel Veron (muscle) and Zaidu Sanusi (muscle) represent another handful of injury concerns for the hosting coach.
On the back of contributing to all three of his side's goals against Shakhtar - having also provided the cross for Taremi to meet - Galeno will be up to his usual tricks on the left flank for Porto, while Romario Baro will hope for another chance to impress after being sacrificed for an extra defender after just 25 minutes against Benfica.
Barcelona also withdrew an attacker in the first half of their recent league showdown with Sevilla, but Raphinha's withdrawal was an enforced one, as the Brazilian sustained a hamstring injury and is now expected to spend between three and four weeks on the sidelines.
Midfield duo Frenkie de Jong (ankle) and Pedri (muscle) are also taking up beds in the treatment room, and Raphinha's absence could lead to a first Champions League start for Lamine Yamal, whose cameo against Antwerp made him the competition's second-youngest debutant behind Youssoufa Moukoko.
Oriol Romeu could also take advantage of Raphinha, Pedri and De Jong's absences to return to the centre of the pitch, while Andreas Christensen should have done enough to keep Ronald Araujo at bay for the time being.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Cardoso, Carmo, Wendell; Eustaquio, Varela; Franco, Jaime, Galeno; Taremi
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, Romeu, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix
We say: Porto 1-3 Barcelona
Porto's stellar home feats coupled with Barcelona's struggles for Champions League successes away from their Catalan headquarters could make Wednesday's affair a trickier one than it would appear on paper for Xavi's side, but the visitors' attacking qualities should soon come to the fore.
Alongside their injury-hit defence, Porto's morale would have taken a hit with their painful loss to Benfica at the weekend, and we have faith in Barcelona to make it two wins from two in Group H.
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Ben Knapton
