FC Porto vs Liverpool (AGG: 0-2)
Estadio Do Dragao, Porto
Wednesday, 17-04-2019 @10pm
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Holland)
Defender Dejan Lovren and midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were both left out of Liverpool’s squad to face Porto after missing training on Tuesday. Joe Gomez is available after recovering from a leg fracture sustained in December and is expected to replace Lovren. Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson has travelled after being forced off in the win over Chelsea with an ankle problem.
Porto will be boosted by the return of two players from suspension, with defender Pepe and midfielder Hector Herrera available again after sitting out at Anfield.
Two of the three teams that lost their first leg by two or more goals in the last 16 of the Champions League this season managed to turn around the tie in the second leg; Manchester United knocked out Paris St-Germain and Juventus defeating Atletico Madrid. Liverpool have never lost a European match against Porto in seven previous encounters (W4 D3 L0), keeping three successive clean sheets against them. Porto suffered their heaviest home defeat in European competition against Liverpool in last season’s Champions League, with the Reds winning 5-0 in a last 16 tie.
Porto have lost the first leg of a Champions League/European Cup knockout tie by two or more goals on six previous occasions, and on all six of those occasions they have been eliminated from the competition. They are the only remaining side in the Champions League to have won 100% of their home games in the competition this season (4/4). Indeed, Porto last won five or more straight home games in the competition between October 1998 and December 1999 (run of six). Moussa Marega has scored in all four of FC Porto’s home Champions League matches this season.
Since the start of last season, Liverpool have won three of their four away Champions League knockout games, only losing to Roma in last season’s semi-final (4-2). Liverpool have progressed from all nine of their previous two-legged European ties under manager Jurgen Klopp (four in the 2015-16 Europa League, one 2017-18 Champions League play-off and four Champions League knockout stage ties since the start of last season). Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick for Liverpool against Porto in last season’s Champions League; only Luiz Adriano (against Bate Borisov) and Cristiano Ronaldo (against Atletico Madrid) have ever scored more than one hat-trick against an opponent in the Champions League, while no player has ever scored two away from home against one club. Since the start of the 2017-18 tournament, Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino has both scored and assisted in five different Champions League matches, more than any other player in this time.
Man City vs Tottenham Hotspurs (AGG: 0-1)
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Wednesday, 17-04-2019 @10pm
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
City midfielder Fernandinho has trained after missing Sunday’s win over Crystal Palace with a muscle problem. Sergio Aguero was withdrawn late on at Palace but is fit, although Oleksandr Zinchenko (hamstring) is a doubt.
Midfielder Dele Alli has been named in Tottenham’s squad for their Champions League quarter-final second leg but will be assessed before Spurs decide if he will play against Manchester City. Spurs forward Erik Lamela, who has not played since the last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund on 5 March because of a hamstring injury, has also trained and like Alli will be assessed after Tuesday’s training session. Serge Aurier (hamstring), Eric Dier (hip flexor) and Harry Winks (groin) are all out, as is striker Harry Kane after he suffered an ankle injury in the first leg.
Tottenham have only won one of their last eight visits to Manchester City in all competitions (D1 L6), a 2-1 Premier League win in February 2016. The first leg of Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City saw eight different English players in the two starting line-ups. The last Uefa Champions League game to see more Englishmen start was the 2008 Champions League final between Manchester United & Chelsea (10).
Manchester City trail 1-0 after losing the first leg against Tottenham; of the 32 previous occasions of a side losing the first leg of a two-legged Champions League tie 1-0 away home, 10 went on to progress (31%). In European competition, Manchester City have lost all five of their previous matches against fellow English clubs, including all three in the Champions League. Manchester City have won 23 of their 25 home matches in all competitions this season (L2), although they have lost two of their last three home games in the Champions League knockout stages, winning the other 7-0 against Schalke in this season’s last 16. Manchester City’s Leroy Sane has been directly involved in seven goals in his last three home games in the Champions League (three goals, four assists), four more than he managed in his previous seven such games at the Etihad (one goal, two assists). Sergio Aguero scored 10 goals in his first seven appearances against Tottenham for Manchester City in all competitions but has since failed to score in each of his last seven games against them; missing a penalty in the first leg of this tie.
Tottenham Hotspur from were eliminated the last time they won 1-0 in the first leg of a two-legged European tie at home, being knocked out by Kaiserslautern in the second round of the 1999-2000 Uefa Cup (2-1 on aggregate). Tottenham have won each of their last three Champions League matches; they have never won four in a row in the competition. Each of Tottenham’s last 10 goals scored in the Champions League have come in the second half of their matches; indeed, 93% of their goals in the competition this season have been netted in the second half (13/14).
Tuesday’s Results:
-Barcelona 3-0 Man United (AGG: 4-0)
-Juventus 1-2 Ajax (AGG: 2-3)
