Porto vs Atletico Madrid

Porto and Atletico Madrid are set to square off in a ‘make-or-break’ UEFA Champions League Group B encounter at the Estádio do Dragão.

Porto could beat the odds and reach the Champions League knock-outs via a runner-up Group B finish if they can record a ninth win in their ten home games across all competitions in 2021/22. That’s despite winning just one of their five Champions League matches this season (D2, L2), courtesy of a 1-0 beating of AC Milan at home on Matchday 3. An uneventful scoreless draw in the reverse fixture in Spain kept Porto’s overall H2H European record versus Atletico Madrid balanced (W2, D4, L3). Adding to their confidence, they’ve only lost one of their four previous European home meetings with Atletico (W1, D2), keeping three clean sheets in the process. Topically, Sergio Conceicao’s men have registered four shutouts in their five Champions League home outings since the start of last season.

Meanwhile, despite qualifying for this Champions League campaign as La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid are on the verge of exiting the competition in the group stages. Having won just one of their five Group B matches so far (D1, L3), Diego Simeone’s men are bottom of the standings ahead of the kick-off and are not in command of their destiny. ‘Los Rojiblancos’ have lost their previous three Champions League games by an aggregate score of 6-2, drawing a blank in the last two in a row. Another scoring blank would see Atletico go three consecutive Champions League group stage matches without finding the net for the first time under Simeone’s reign. On the bright side, though, the Spaniards have only lost one of their last five Champions League meetings with Portuguese opposition (W3, D1) since a brace of defeats at the hands of Porto in the 2009/10 campaign.