STARTING XI LIVERPOOL VS FC PORTO

 

Porto make three changes to the team sent out at Anfield last week. Yacine Brahimi, Pepe and captain Hector Herrera return to the starting XI, while Maxi Pereira, Oliver Torres and Francisco Soares drop to the bench.

Liverpool make four changes to last week’s starting line-up. Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino drop to the bench, while Dejan Lovren is ill. Georginio Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson, Joel Matip and Divock Origi take their places.

Preamble

Porto have never beaten Liverpool. The two clubs first met in the quarter-finals of the old Uefa Cup in 2001. After a goalless draw in Oporto, Gerard Houllier’s side won 2-0 at Anfield thanks to Michael Owen and Danny Murphy, and went on to win the cup. In the group stage of the 2007/08 Champions League, the teams drew in Portugal again, and Liverpool won at home again, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch in the goals. And then there was last year’s round-of-16 thumping: Sadio Mane the hat-trick hero of a 5-0 win at the Estádio do Dragão, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino also getting on the scoresheet.

Porto will need to snap that sequence quicksmart if they’re to progress to a semi-final against Barcelona. They’re 2-0 down from the first leg at Anfield, Naby Keita and Firmino doing the damage this time. Liverpool have their opponents exactly where they want them: Porto have to attack, and at some point will surely leave themselves vulnerable to the counter, at which their opponents excel.

But there is hope for the home side - and danger for the Reds. Porto had their chances at Anfield; on another day Moussa Marega could easily have scored a couple of away goals, and things would look very different right now. They’ve also won all four of their home games in the Champions League this season ... while Liverpool have lost three of four away. Jurgen Klopp’s side have also lost five of their last ten matches in Europe, all of those defeats coming away from home.

Liverpool can’t afford to take anything for granted, then. An away goal would settle the nerves, requiring Porto to score four. Can the Reds seal the deal and set up a semi-final with Barcelona? Or will the Portuguese champions turn this tie around and reach the last four for the first time since the days of Jose Mourinho? We’ll find out soon enough. It’s on!

Here is the lineup