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Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 7, 2023 at 8pm UK
Estadio Do Dragao
RA

Porto
2 - 0
Antwerp

Evanilson (32' pen.), Pepe (90+1')
Carmo (58'), Conceicao (84')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Yusuf (20'), Vermeeren (45+2'), Wijndal (62')
Ekkelenkamp (52')

Preview: Porto vs. Royal Antwerp - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Porto vs. Royal Antwerp - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Champions League clash between Porto and Royal Antwerp, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Porto will be bidding to strengthen their grip on second position in Group H when they continue their Champions League campaign at home to Royal Antwerp on Tuesday night.

The Portuguese giants have picked up six points from three matches to sit second in the section, while Antwerp are bottom, losing all three of their group-stage fixtures this term.


Match preview

Porto opened their Group H campaign with a 3-1 success over Shakhtar Donetsk before suffering a 1-0 home loss to Barcelona in their second match at the start of October.

Sergio Conceicao's side returned to winning ways last time out, though, recording a 4-1 victory over Antwerp, with Evanilson scoring a second-half hat-trick for the Portuguese giants.

Porto cannot qualify this week, but a win over Antwerp would put them in a commanding position, as a defeat for Shakhtar against Barcelona would mean that Conceicao's team would only need to pick up one point from their last two games in the section to make the round of 16.

The Dragons currently sit third in the Primeira Liga table, picking up 22 points from their opening 10 matches of the season, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Estoril on Friday night.

Porto have won six, drawn two and lost just one of their nine previous home European contests against Belgian clubs, but the defeat, which was 4-0, came last season against Club Brugge.

The Portuguese side have made the knockout round of the Champions League in five of their last six campaigns, but Antwerp are playing in the group stage of this competition for the first time in their history.

It was always going to be a tough ask for the Reds to perform in this section considering the strength of their opposition, and the reigning Belgian champions are still waiting for their first point in Group H.

Mark van Bommel's side opened their group-stage campaign with a 5-0 defeat at Barcelona before suffering a 3-2 home defeat to Shakhtar in their second match.

Antwerp then lost 4-1 at home to Porto last time out, and they need to win to remain in contention for a top-two finish here, with a draw or loss eliminating them from the competition.

The Great Old are currently down in sixth position in their domestic table, only picking up 20 points from 13 matches, but they will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 success over Genk on Saturday.

Antwerp had been in strong form in Europe ahead of this season's group stage, winning six of their 10 games in the build-up, losing just once, but they have found it difficult to make the step-up to the top table.

Porto Champions League form:


Porto form (all competitions):


Royal Antwerp Champions League form:


Royal Antwerp form (all competitions):



Team News

Porto currently have six players on the sidelines through injury, with Galeno, Wendell, Ivan Jaime, Zaidu Sanusi, Ivan Marcano and Gabriel Veron out of action.

Pepe Aquino is expected to start in a wide position for the home side, with Evanilson going through the middle alongside Mehdi Taremi, who is currently being heavily linked with a move away from the club.

Wendell's injury will open the door for Jorge Sanchez to feature at the back, while David Carmo and Pepe are set to line up as the two centre-backs for the Portuguese side.

As for Antwerp, Mandela Keita, Jacob Ondrejka, Anthony Valencia and Bjorn Engels will miss the clash in Portugal due to fitness problems.

Arthur Vermeeren's future continues to be the subject of speculation, with the 18-year-old being heavily linked with a number of major clubs, and he will again line up in central midfield.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Vincent Janssen is the team's leading goalscorer this season with seven, and he will again feature in the final third of the field, while there will also be a start for Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who has netted six times in all competitions this term.


Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Mario, Pepe, Carmo, Sanchez; Franco, Varela, Eustaquio, Aquino; Evanilson, Taremi

Royal Antwerp possible starting lineup:
Butez; De Laet, Alderweireld, Coulibaly, Bataille; Vermeeren, Yusuf; Muja, Ekkelenkamp, Balikwisha; Janssen


We say: Porto 3-1 Royal Antwerp

Antwerp are certainly capable of causing problems on Tuesday, and we are backing them to find the back of the net in their fourth match in the competition. Porto have so much quality, though, and even with some injuries to important players, we are expecting the Portuguese outfit to win this match relatively comfortably.



For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


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1Sporting Lisbon31263289296081
2Benfica31244371254676
3Porto31196657263163
4Braga31195764442062
5Vitoria de GuimaraesGuimaraes31186746321460
6MoreirenseMoreirense31137113234-246
7AroucaArouca311361253421145
8FamalicaoFamalicao31812113339-636
9Casa Pia3198143344-1135
10Estoril PraiaEstoril3196164652-633
11Rio AveRio Ave3151793339-632
12Gil Vicente3188153950-1132
13SC FarenseFarense3087153944-531
14BoavistaBoavista3179153557-2230
15Estrela Amadora30611133246-1429
16PortimonensePortimonense3177173466-3228
17ChavesChaves3158183165-3423
18Vizela31410173063-3322
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