Chelsea will face off against FC Porto at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday night as both teams look to get the better of each other in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. The Blues suffered a disappointing 5-2 loss at the hands of West Bromwich Albion last weekend which has halted their momentum heading into this European game. In contrast, the Portuguese giants managed to secure a 2-1 win over Santa Clara last Sunday, so they will be full of confidence in midweek.
Talking Tactics
Sérgio Conceição will probably opt for a 4-4-2 formation and could ask his players to sit deep and try to expose some of Chelsea’s defensive weaknesses on the counter. We can expect to see Moussa Marega and Toni Martinez carry most of the goal-scoring workload for Porto up top.
Thomas Tuchel will set his team up in a 3-4-2-1 formation and is likely to instruct his players to dominate the ball in the hopes of engineering some clear-cut chances to win this all-important first-leg on the road.
Team News
FC Porto
Mouhamed Mbaye can be ruled out of this clash because of injury. Ivan Marcano is a major doubt for this game and will be in a race against time to be fit in midweek. Both Mehdi Taremi and Sergio Oliveira are suspended as well which will make team selection difficult for the Porto manager this week.
FC Porto Predicted XI
Agustin Marchesin, Wilson Manafa, Chancel Mbemba, Pepe, Zaidu Sanusi, Otavio, Mateus Uribe, Marko Grujic, Jesus Corona, Toni Martinez, Moussa Marega
Chelsea
N’Golo Kante is struggling with a hamstring injury, so he won’t be available for selection later this week. Tuchel will be sweating on the fitness of Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham ahead of this European showdown as they are both major doubts for this contest.
Chelsea Predicted XI
Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Reece James, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Timo Werner
Key Men
FC Porto
Toni Martinez managed to get his name on the scoresheet last weekend, so he will be full of confidence and might fancy his chances of causing a few problems for the Chelsea defenders in midweek. Agustin Marchesin can expect a busy night and will have to be at his best if he wants to stop the Blues from scoring during the 90 minutes.
Chelsea
Mason Mount will be responsible for making a real difference in the Porto half as he will carry most of the creative workload for his team. Both Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic need to establish their superiority at the centre of the park if Chelsea are to come out on top in this Champions League game.
Odds
The Blues are 3/4 favorites to win this match while the draw has been listed at 5/2. The Portuguese giants are 19/5 underdogs to claim a positive result at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday night.
