Champions League matches in Group F

Factbox on Wednesday's matches in Group F in the Champions League:

PORTO v REAL MADRID

Porto have had closed training sessions since Sunday but few surprises are expected when they line up against Real Madrid.

Defender Jorge Costa joined Russian midfielder Dmitri Alenitchev (thigh) on the injury list after bruising a knee in training and Angolan defender Pedro Emanuel is likely to take his place.

The Portuguese champions have been slow to find the form which won them a domestic league and cup double, plus the UEFA Cup, last season and playmaker Deco Souza has been notably below par.

However, Jose Mourinho's side have finally pulled clear at the top of the Portuguese league after beating Vitoria Guimaraes 2-1 away at the weekend.

Real will be missing the in-form David Beckham from their midfield, the England captain having sustained an injury to the sole of his right foot during Saturday's 2-0 league defeat against Valencia.

Versatile defender Ivan Helguera is set to return after recovering from a throat infection that kept him out of the Valencia game and may be asked to move up to his former position in the centre of midfield to cover for Beckham.

Club captain and joint top-scorer Raul was left out of the provisional squad due to a hip injury, but was then included after passing a late fitness test on Tuesday.

Young striker Javier Portillo would take his place up front alongside Ronaldo if the Spanish international suffered any further setback, while Guti may replace Esteban Cambiasso in midfield after the Argentine's poor performance at the Mestalla.

Probable teams:

Porto: 99-Vitor Baia, 22-Paulo Ferreira, 3-Pedro Emanuel, 4-Ricardo Carvalho, 8-Nuno Valente, 18-Maniche Ribeiro, 6-Francisco Costinha, 10-Deco Souza, 25-Ricardo Fernandes, 77-Benni McCarthy, 11-Derlei Silva.

Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas, 2-Michel Salgado, 22-Francisco Pavon, 15-Raul Bravo, 3-Roberto Carlos, 10-Luis Figo, 14-Guti, 6-Ivan Helguera, 5-Zinedine Zidane, 7-Raul, 9-Ronaldo.

Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).

OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE v PARTIZAN BELGRADE

Marseille could be without Senegal defender Habib Beye and mdifielder Brahim Hemdani, arguably the best two players in their team's 4-2 defeat by Real Madrid in their group F opener.

Beye has a broken rib while Hemdani has a thigh injury and both are doubtful.

Partizan face a goalkeeping crisis as Ivica Kralj is still sidelined with a knee injury while reserve keeper Djordje Pantic twisted his ankle in training on Sunday, leaving Radovan Radakovic as the first-choice option and 19-year-old Nemanja Jovsic as the only alternative.

Defensive midfielder Albert Nadj is struggling with a thigh injury, but is expected to pass a late fitness test, while Vladimir Ivic is still recovering from a pre-season fracture of a bone in his foot.

Probable teams:

Marseille: 1-Vedran Runje, 19-Rudolf Skacel, 4-Daniel van Buyten, 12-Abdoullaye Meite, 8-Sebastien Perez, 18-Camel Meriem, 15-Pascal Johansen, 29-Fabio Celstini, 9-Mido, 20-Steve Marlet, 11-Didier Drogba.

Partizan: 1-Radovan Radakovic, 2-Milivoje Cirkovic, 15-Nikola Malbasa, 16-Taribo West, 24-Branko Savic, 4-Igor Duljaj, 28-Albert Nadj, 14-Nenad Djordjevic, 22-Sasa Ilic, 9-Andrija Delibasic, 17-Ivica Ilie.

Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy).