Following a resounding victory over Braga on Friday, Porto face a difficult test on matchday three of the Champions League as they take on Bayer Leverkusen in a match that could have severe ramifications in Group B.
The hosts come into the tie fresh off the back of their first win in three across all competitions, while the visitors enter the fray seeking a reaction from a heavy defeat against Bayern Munich on Friday that ended their four-match unbeaten run.
Match preview
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Porto have made a solid if unspectacular start to their domestic campaign this season, currently sitting third in the Primeira Liga table with only one defeat from their opening eight games but trailing leaders Benfica by three points.
Despite recently dropping points away to Estoril Praia, they can take confidence going into this tie after defeating Braga 4-1 on Friday as goals from Evanilson, Stephen Eustaquio, Pepe Aquino and Galeno sealed a comfortable win for the hosts and condemned their fellow high fliers to a first defeat of the season.
On the other hand, their European form has left much to be desired from their fanatical support, with back-to-back defeats to open their campaign.
The Portuguese giants kicked off their campaign in dramatic fashion away to Atletico Madrid, when three injury-time goals and a rollercoaster finale to the match ultimately left Sergio Conceicao's side empty-handed.
A 96th-minute penalty from Mateus Uribe levelled the scores after Mario Hermoso had broken the deadlock earlier in added time, only for Antoine Griezmann to snatch all three points for the hosts with a dramatic winner 11 minutes into stoppage time.
Further anguish was to come in the second round of fixtures at the Estadio do Dragao against Club Brugge, where efforts from Ferran Jutgla, Kamal Sowah, Andreas Skov Olsen and Antonio Nusa stunned the home fans into silence as the Belgians claimed a rousing 4-0 triumph. In a shock result, Porto looked well below par against a side that was a pot four seed in the Champions League group stage draw.
In the competition so far, the Primeira Liga outfit has conceded more goals than every other team barring Viktoria Plzen and Rangers.
Undoubtedly, Porto will need to bounce back quickly against Bayer Leverkusen if they want to realise their aspirations of knockout phase football after Christmas in the Champions League or Europa League.
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Bayer Leverkusen have been extremely underwhelming in their start to the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign and languish in 17th place.
Winning just one domestic match all season away to Mainz in late August, they are in the relegation zone and could do with a major upturn in fortunes.
Defensive cohesion has been a constant irritation for manager Gerardo Seoane, who has seen his side concede 16 goals in eight outings for the second-worst record in the entire league.
Bizarrely, though, their exploits in European competition have been much more efficient and have propelled them into contention to qualify for the round of 16.
In their opening bout away to Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen were on the end of a narrow loss due to a first-half Loubadhe Abakar Sylla winner in a game where they had their fair share of chances.
However, the German side overcame their offensive profligacy on matchday two, pulling off an excellent victory at home to Atletico Madrid to hand them their first three points in Group B.
Robert Andrich and Moussa Diaby struck late on to give Seoane's men a much-needed victory while also aiding their ascent up to second place at Atletico Madrid's expense.
Bayer Leverkusen have been a creative force in Europe, fashioning 32 attempts on goal thus far, which is a higher tally than heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan have managed to generate from their first two matches in the 2022-23 Champions League.
Bayer Leverkusen could potentially go to the top of Group B with a win in Portugal with three games to go, giving them all the more incentive to impose themselves on the tie from the start on Tuesday evening.
Team News
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Porto striker Mehdi Taremi will be available to play on Tuesday after serving his suspension during the 4-0 defeat to Club Brugge on matchday two in a huge boost for the hosts.
Otavio and Pepe returned from injury problems in the 4-1 victory over Braga last week and are expected to be included in the matchday squad.
On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen will be without star man Florian Wirtz, who is a long-term absentee after rupturing his cruciate ligament back in March.
Exequiel Palacios won't take part in the trip to Portugal either due to his struggles with a hamstring injury, forcing Gerardo Seoane to consider alternative options.
Karim Bellarabi is doubtful for Bayer Leverkusen owing to fitness issues which ruled out his involvement in the defeat to Bayern Munich last week.
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Conceicao, Pepe, Carmo, Wendell; Uribe; Otavio, Eustaquio, Pepe; Evanilson, Taremi
Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup:
Hradecky; Frimpong, Tah, Tapsoba, Bakker; Andrich, Demirbay; Diaby, Hlozek, Hudson-Odoi; Schick
We say: Porto 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Porto and Bayer Leverkusen will both be desperate to come flying out of the blocks and claim a result that could change the landscape of Champions League Group B.
Ultimately, the two sides will be inseparable on Tuesday evening in a game of fine margins. With both teams being able to call on plenty of talented attackers to influence proceedings, a score draw is the most likely result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
