Porto v Liverpool: Quarter-final Champions League – live! | Soccer



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For You Blue. Spotted at the Estadio do Dragao, the fab back oven. They've been much more solid since bringing in Ringo for Dejan 'Pete Best' Lovren.




That kit suits them yeah, yeah, yeah.

That kit suits them yeah, yeah, yeah. Photograph: Andrew Boyers / Action Images via Reuters









Porto make three changes to the team 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.










The teams

Port: Casillas, Militão, Felipe, Pepe, Alex Telles, Corona, Danilo, Herrera, Brahimi, Otavio, Marega.
Subs: Vaná, Maxi, Bruno Costa, Óliver, André Pereira, Soares, Fernando Andrade.

Liverpool: Alison, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Milner, Mane, Salah, Origi.
Subs: Mignolet, Keita, Firmino, Gomez, Henderson, Sturridge, Shaqiri.

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Preamble

Porto have never beaten Liverpool. The two clubs in the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup in 2001. After a goalless draw in Oporto, Gerard Houllier won 2-0 at Anfield, 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's hat-trick hero of a 5-0 win at the Dragão Estádio, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino also getting on the scoresheet.

Porto will need to snap that sequence quicksmart if they are 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: to have their opponents excel at.

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 a couple of away goals, and things would look very different right now. They've also won all of their home games in the Champions League this season … while Liverpool have lost three of four away. Jurgen Klopp's side has also lost five of their last ten matches in Europe, all of those defeats coming away from home.

Liverpool can not 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 into the last of the days of Jose Mourinho? We'll find out soon enough. It's on!

Kick off: 8pm (both local and BST).

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