Date: Tuesday 9th April
Time: 8:00pm
Stadium: Anfield
Referee: Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Team News:
Liverpool welcome Porto to Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, aiming for a repeat scoreline from last season’s last-16 tie.
The Reds stormed to a 5-0 victory when the sides met in the first knockout round last year, scoring all of their goals in a dominant first-leg display in Portugal, and they are strong favourites to progress through 13 months on.
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without one of their key men on Tuesday as left-back Andy Robertson picked up a late booking at the Allianz Arena to rule him out of the first leg against Porto.
Klopp must decide whether to go with Alberto Moreno, used just four times all season, or instead go with the versatile James Milner, who spent the majority of 2016-17 playing there.
The Reds, while not taking Porto lightly, will surely see this as a chance to make a few changes ahead of a gruelling schedule.
Georginio Wijnaldum has been used heavily over the last eight months and is in need of a rest, potentially giving Fabinho a chance to impress in a midfield three alongside Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita.
Elsewhere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez are still carrying injuries and will sit this one out, while Adam Lallana is struggling with a muscular injury.
Recent form in Champions League: WLLWDW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWWW
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Milner; Fabinho, Henderson, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Porto
Porto head into this match on the back of a derby win over city rivals Boavista, meanwhile, and Conceicao was able to bring off key trio Jesus Manuel Corona, Tiquinho and Danilo Pereira with this game in mind.
There could be some bad news for Conceicao, though, as Telles picked up an injury while scoring a penalty last week and missed the derby clash with Boavista, but he is expected to be back in time for this midweek trip to Anfield.
Striker Vincent Aboubakar will play no part after rupturing his cruciate ligament earlier in the season, though it is in defence where the visitors have a particular headache.
As well as Telles’s fitness concerns, experienced centre-back Pepe is suspended for the first leg, as is the influential Hector Herrera further up the field, possibly leaving them with just four fit and available defenders.
Further up the field, striker Moussa Marega is looking to become just the fourth different player in Champions League history to score in seven successive matches in the competition.
Recent form in Champions League:
WWWWLW
Recent form (all competitions):
WWWWDW
Porto possible starting lineup:
Casillas; Militao, Felipe, Leite, Telles; Corona, Danilo, Otavio, Brahimi; Marega, Soares
Head To Head
Liverpool have never lost a European match against Porto in six previous encounters.
Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick in last season’s first-leg win for the Reds. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were also on target to kill off the tie inside 90 minutes.
Porto have never faced an opponent more without winning in the Champions League than Liverpool (four games), also failing in four matches against Zenit St Petersburg and Juventus
