Porto vs Liverpool
Liverpool are going great guns at the tail-end of the season. Not only are they back atop the Premier League table for the time being following a massive 2-0 win over Chelsea, but they’re also perfectly positioned to make it back to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Reds travel to Porto for the second leg after a 2-0 triumph at Anfield. However, they should consider themselves a bit lucky in that game as the Portuguese giants had their chances to grab an away goal.
Nevertheless, the English giants are in a great spot to take care of business and move on to the last four of the competition for the second consecutive season.
Talking Points
Liverpool in control
Liverpool have looked simply sensational over the past month or so. After going through a stretch where they drew five of seven matches in all competitions, they have since won seven on the trot.
That includes impressive victories at Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final second leg, and at home over Tottenham, Porto, and most recently, Chelsea.
The famed front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have been firing on all cylinders. Salah, in particular, has finally shaken off his recent barren run by scoring two goals in his last three games, which includes his stunning strike to seal the win over Chelsea.
Meanwhile, their new-look midfield of Fabinho, Naby Keita, and captain Jordan Henderson playing a more advanced role has done wonders as they’ve looked much more effective in attack. Henderson has chipped in with a goal and two assists in his last three games.
But Liverpool are already in firm control of this tie against Porto and don’t need to over-exert themselves. It’s likely that manager Jurgen Klopp will make some changes to his side as they focus on getting maximum points in their Premier League run-in. That’s a major factor why the Champions League 2019 betting odds are much more even this time around.
The likes of James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Dejan Lovren, and possibly Joe Gomez could all get some much-needed playing time in Portugal, where they’ll be tasked with protecting Liverpool’s two-goal lead.
Porto must believe
Porto are back in a similar situation they found themselves in the previous round. They also lost the first leg away against Roma in the round of 16. However, they rallied to win the home leg 3-1 in extra time.
Obviously, though, repeating that feat against a superior Liverpool side will be much, much tougher to do. But as they showed with their performance at Anfield, they aren’t completely overmatched in this tie.
Despite being ill during the first leg, Moussa Marega had a couple of good opportunities on goal, which he was just unable to convert. If he’s in better health — and possibly facing a second-string Liverpool defence — perhaps he can do a bit better at home.
Marega has produced several of Porto’s top Champions League 2019 highlights this season. In fact, he has scored in each of Porto’s four home matches in this year’s competition, all of which they have won.
Porto had the ideal build-up to the second leg with a 3-0 win over Portimonense. Marega picked up another goal while captain Hector Herrera, who was suspended for the first leg against Liverpool, also got on the score sheet.
While being down 2-0 to Liverpool is not good, it’s also not completely insurmountable. Porto simply need to play with the same belief and confidence they did at Anfield, and if they score early, who knows what could happen.
History
The last time Liverpool visited Porto — which was in the first leg of last season’s round of 16 tie — they completely thrashed the Portuguese, 5-0. That made the second leg a dull affair as they played out a 0-0 draw at Anfield.
However, Porto aren’t quite in as deep a hole this time around, which should make the second leg a more interesting affair.
But still, it’s important to note that Liverpool have never lost to Porto in seven previous meetings all-time (four wins, three draws).
Betting Tip
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Porto vs Liverpool | Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.91 |
| April 18, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
This match will hinge heavily on Klopp’s team selection. While it’s almost certain that he will rotate, it remains to be seen just how many changes he will make. This second leg won’t be a mere formality that last year’s was, though, so the Reds may still field a relatively strong squad.
But barring an early Porto strike, it’s unlikely that Liverpool will go in search of an away goal and will instead be content with preserving their two-goal advantage. That points to a low-scoring affair at the Estadio do Dragao.
According to SBOBET odds, under 2.5 goals is priced at 1.94. And with the quality in the Liverpool defence, they should be able to keep this game from exceeding two goals at most.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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