By Daniel Ghorbal @GhorbalDan
After Saturday’s whirlwind of a draw between Brentford and Liverpool, the reds don’t have a lot of time to reflect on what was an energy sapping affair, with Champions League duty against FC Porto just around the corner. Liverpool are facing Porto for the third season in the last five, a fixture which has became a bit of a regular between two European heavyweights.
Porto are always an interesting team to come up against, they seemingly find ways out of groups in most seasons in the Champions League, but this year is a different kettle of fish and it’ll take a lot of get through with the high calibre of opposition they will come up against.
Liverpool’s last two visits to the Estadio do Dragao have resulted in an aggregate score of 9-1 in the reds’ favour, and another victory here would go a long way in determining the outlook of Group B.
Domestically, Porto’s start to the campaign has been impressive, avoiding defeat and scoring plenty of goals. Fans were slightly sceptical after their indifferent transfer window, the club were heavily linked with the likes of James Rodriguez but ended up signing left back Wendell from Bayer Leverkusen as well as a few youthful players. Their most important piece of business, however, was securing the services of star player Luis Diaz, a 24-year-old Colombian who has stood out massively for Porto in recent seasons.
The electric winger has magnificent pace as well as an eye for goal, scoring 5 league goals in the first 7 games of this campaign. Diaz was strongly linked to Everton throughout the summer and Liverpool’s Merseyside neighbours were said to be extremely frustrated by their failure to capture Porto’s main man. Up against Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diaz will provide a stern test for the Reds’ fullback and it will be a battle that could define the outcome of the match.
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Despite Diaz’ brilliance, Mehdi Taremi is undoubtedly Porto’s main source of goals, a consistent talisman in Conceicao’s ranks. He was signed from Rio Ave back in 2019 and has lit up the Portuguese league, with 32 goal contributions in just 41 games. He was also extremely impressive in Porto’s 2020/21 Champions League campaign, capturing the attention of many after his remarkable goal in the quarter-final defeat to Chelsea.
Taremi will most probably be paired alongside Toni Martinez for Porto in an attack that can certainly cause Liverpool trouble, and after the performances of Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney on the weekend, the Portuguese giants will see this as an avenue to exploit.
Defensively, there are slight concerns about Porto, predominantly from a depth point of view. In the summer window, the club allowed young central defender Diogo Leite to leave the club on loan, leaving them with just 3 recognised central defenders.
One is Pepe, a 38-year-old who is recognised by many as one of the finest defenders of the recent generation, however the veteran is injured meaning Porto will be with just Ivan Marcano, who has only recently returned from an ACL injury, as Chancel Mbemba is suspended following his dismissal against Atletico Madrid.
Having such light numbers at this stage of the season is a massive concern for Porto, especially with the array of talent at Liverpool’s disposal. This will be a game in which the hosts need to thrive off the energy of the crowd. It can’t be forgotten that this is their first game in the Champions League with fans, an advantage that served Liverpool so well against Milan. Liverpool certainly have more quality but if they can get key players on the ball and attack Liverpool, there is no reason why this cannot prove to be an incredibly tough evening for the Reds.
Predicted XI
