Champions League Preview: Porto v Real Madrid
Real Madrid travel to Porto in a pivotal Group F Champions League Match on Wednesday evening.
Real Madrid travel to Porto in a pivotal Group F Champions League Match on Wednesday evening.
Madrid can pull away from the rest of the group with a win in Porto, a loss or a draw will blow the race for first place wide open.
While it is only the second match day of the group stage, these two teams are favored to go through to the next round, a negative result on Wednesday would significantly hinder their chances.
Real, who started the Champions League with a 4-2 thrashing of Olympique Marseille, saw their unbeaten record snap by Valencia on Saturday. Real will be looking to rebound against Porto who are very difficult to beat at home. Manager Carlos Queiroz has stated that Madrid will show what they are truly capable of on Wednesday.
Roberto Carlos is also confident his side can win but expects a tough game. "Porto are one of the best sides in Europe, they're playing at home and will be going all out to beat us," he said.
The UEFA Cup winners were held 1-1 by Partizan Belgrade in their opening Champions League match, a match they were favoured to win. Nonetheless, Porto manager José Mourinho has only given his side a 50% chance of winning. "We have the quality to beat them, but we need to take our chances and hope they don't score theirs."
Porto are expecting a sellout crowd for this game and will be very difficult to beat under these circumstances.
Porto are coming off a hard fought 2-1 victory against Vitoria Guimaraes on Sunday and will need to bring that fighting spirit for this match.
Deco has admitted to the Portuguese media that his form is not where it should be. The Portuguese international has struggled this season but showed some flashes of brilliance on the weekend in league play. This could mean Deco is rounding the corner in terms of his form and may cause Real Madrid some problems on Wednesday.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Porto: José Mourinho did not start Maniche on the weekend, opting to rest the player ahead of Wednesday's crucial encounter. If Maniche and Deco can start clicking again in the Porto midfield, then the home side stands a chance. Jorge Costa will miss this match due to a knee injury he sustained on the weekend, a huge loss for Porto as will miss the rugged center back's aerial dominance and strength.
Real Madrid: England captain David Beckham has been ruled out of this match after injuring his right foot in Madrid's 2-0 defeat to Valencia. Ivan Helguera is back after being sidelined with a knee cartilage injury. Real Madrid captain Raul has come through a fitness test on a niggling hip injury and will line up against Porto in the Champions League.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Costinha: (Porto) Real Madrid outclass Porto in every position on the pitch except for the defensive midfield where Costinha is more reliable than Cambiasso. The Portuguese international has a knack for scoring clutch goals and did so again this past weekend. Costinha will need to reproduce his form from the weekend if Porto are to be successful, and even a strong game from Costinha may not be enough against the star-studded Real Madrid.
Luis Figo: (Real Madrid) No longer the magical player he was three years ago, Figo always brings his 'A' game when Real Madrid travel to Portugal for Champions League play. In Real's two previous trips to Portugal Figo was the best player on the pitch in matches against Sporting Lisbon and Porto. Don't be surprised if he is the best player on the pitch on Wednesday.