Champions League: Ruthless Reds Aim to Maintain Their Pristine Record

Liverpool vs FC Porto

Liverpool are looking to gather more momentum ahead of the knockout stages upon hosting Porto to Anfield for this Champions League Group B clash.

The Reds were one of the fastest participants to book their Final 16 berth by winning in their last four matches so far, and confidence is definitely high in their dressing room.

Meanwhile, their visitors are sitting at second place with five points and a victory here would give them the boost that they’ll need to advance in the next phase.

Porto’s best case scenario is getting all three points here and they’ll be hopeful that the other Group B encounter between Atletico Madrid and AC Milan ends up in a draw.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are favouring Liverpool especially taking into account their previous meeting, although there’s not much incentive for them go all out for this fixture.

The taste of their bitter defeat last September is still fresh for Sergio Conceicao’s men and they’ll use it as motivation to put out a much better effort this time.

Talking Points

Liverpool are relentless at home

The Reds’ success in recent years can be mainly attributed to their dominance at home. Anfield has been their fortress once more as they’ll enter this contest on the back of a 14-game unbeaten home streak.

Liverpool sealed their place in the next round when they defeated Atletico Madrid previously at home, and we expect them to put out a similar performance especially after thrashing Arsenal in the last time out with a 4-0 scoreline.

In the said match, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah, and Takumi Minamino all found the back of the net and they are expected to contend for spots in the starting XI this midweek.

Since this game doesn’t have much bearing for them, Jurgen Klopp should reshuffle his deck given their unforgiving schedule.

Roberto Firmino, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott are all sidelined due to injuries while Diogo Jota is a game-time decision following his collision with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the weekend.

Andy Robertson should make his return after not being able to play against the Gunners, while Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino might get featured out front alongside Mohamed Salah.

Moreover, skipper Virgil van Dijk is going to get the night off which should open an opportunity for both Ibrahima Konate and Neco Williams.

Porto control their destiny

On the flip side, Porto have a fully-fit squad to choose from for this pivotal match and they’ll look to reprise their underdog roles anew.

Veteran centre-back Pepe is set for a return while Luis Diaz – who was linked to Liverpool before – is going to be heavily featured alongside Mehdi Taremi, Sergio Oliveira, Evanilson, and Mateus Uribe.

Since their brutal defeat to Liverpool few weeks ago, Porto have been banging in form as they’ve won eight of their last nine games in all competitions. They’ve been feasting on their opponents back home at Portugal and they got positive Champions League 2021 results vs. AC Milan in back-to-back occasions.

Porto will look to recreate the Cinderella run last season in the Champions League where they eliminated Juventus and brought the fight to Chelsea, but they first must handle their business against the Reds on the road.

History

Liverpool have yet to lose against Porto in European competition (W6, D3) prior to Wednesday. Five of those nine games were under Jurgen Klopp’s reign to which he has won four times and drawn once.

Porto have only won once in their last 22 games against Premier League sides in Europe (D3, L18) – with their most recent victory coming against Chelsea in the second leg of their quarter-final last term.

These two squads faced off in September where Liverpool crushed Porto with a 5-1 scoreline as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino all found the back of the net while Mehdi Taremi scored the consolation goal.

Betting Tip

	Liverpool vs FC Porto	Liverpool Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 1.93
	November 25, 04:00 (GMT+8)

Liverpool are the stronger squad in this contest, which is why they remain favoured in the Champions League 2021 odds.

The Reds are priced at 1.93, while the Dragons are installed at 3.65 to win and chances for a draw are at 3.60 in the 1X2 market.

This game presents Porto’s best chance of qualifying in the last-16 and they should fare much better since Liverpool’s rotation will look different due to injuries.

Although we expect this to be a tighter affair compared to their last meeting at the Estadio do Dragao, Liverpool possess enough quality and that should be enough for them to claim three more points.

 

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