FC Porto, in Bruges, and Sporting, in London, have decisive matches this Wednesday for their aspirations to advance in this edition of the Football Champions League.
After a bad start in group B of the ‘Champions’, with two defeats in the first two days, FC Porto reaches the fifth day with options to ensure its presence in the round of 16, after winning both matches against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Blue and Whites will meet the Belgians from Club Brugge (17:45), leader of the ‘poule’ that came to Dragão to score surprisingly 4-0, in the second round, and who already have a guaranteed place in the next phase.
FC Porto can already qualify for the round of 16, if they win in Belgium, if Atlético de Madrid do not triumph in hosting Bayer Leverkusen, with the three points ensuring the continuity of the Portuguese champion in European competitions.
Porto’s coach, Sérgio Conceição, has the team almost at full capacity, and for this game he will not have the injured Pepe, nor the suspended João Mário.
In the opposite direction it was Sporting, who had an excellent start to the competition, winning the first two days, but ended up defeated in both clashes with the French Marseille, in group D.
Rubén Amorim’s team has a complicated mission in London, against Tottenham (8:00 p.m.), a team that was defeated 2-0 by Alvalade, with goals conceded in added time, but that can immediately guarantee qualification for the next phase in case of victory, which could dictate the elimination of the ‘lions’, who, in that scenario, would have to wait for Marseille not to score against the German Eintracht Frankfurt.
For the trip to London, the ‘Leonese’ coach can already count on the central defenders St. Juste and Sebástian Coates, absent in recent games due to injury.
On Tuesday, Benfica secured qualification for the Round of 16 by beating Juventus 4-3 at home.
Source: TSF
