Premier League title contenders Liverpool are looking to get to the last four of the UEFA Champions League, but first they will have to get past FC Porto in the quarter-finals. The two teams meet in the first leg of their tie at Anfield on Tuesday in a match that could already decide which of them goes through. The two sides have met in the round of sixteen last season and Liverpool secured their qualification from the first leg with a commanding 5-0 victory in Portugal. Overall, Liverpool have won three of the six direct matches, while the other three were draws.
Liverpool have been in brilliant form lately, they have won their last five matches in all competitions and knocked out the mighty Bayern Munich in the previous round of the UEFA Champions League. The Reds were unable to get more than a goalless draw in the first leg of that tie, but then they turned on the style and won 3-1 in Munich. Last week the Reds grabbed a 3-1 Premier League victory at Southampton, which allowed them to get back to the top of the table. Liverpool are unbeaten in their last fourteen matches in all competitions, but have not managed to keep a clean sheet in any of the last five games. Left-back Andrew Robertson is suspended for this match, while Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are not fit enough to play.
FC Porto pulled off a great fightback in the previous round after having lost the first leg 2-1 at AS Roma. In the second leg FC Porto managed to win 2-1 after ninety minutes and then Alex Telles fired the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 117th minute. After that comeback, FC Porto won the following four matches in the Portuguese league, where they are tied on 69 points with Benfica at the top of the table. Last week Porto defeated Boavista 2-0 in the local derby. Pepe and Hector Herrera are suspended for this match, while Vincent Aboubakar is still injured. Alex Telles skipped last week's league match due to a hip injury but he could recover in time for Tuesday's game.
Probable line-ups:
Liverpool: Alisson - Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Milner - Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson - Salah, Firmino, Mane
FC Porto: Casillas - M. Pereira, Militao, Felipe, Telles - Otavio, D. Pereira, Torres, Corona - Marega, Soares
My prediction: Liverpool to win 2-0, it's time for the Reds to keep a clean sheet.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Liverpool win - 1.30
Draw - 6.00
FC Porto win - 11.00
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