Porto vs Napoli – News and Probable Lineups

Porto, one of three teams yet to register a point, will be aiming to finally score in this season’s Champions League when they face Napoli at Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday evening.

Despite the Italian team managing to secure a victory last time out, they have suffered six losses and haven’t won any of their last seven away matches against top-level European competition.

Match overview

The previous month’s 1-0 defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven marked Porto’s third successive defeat in the Champions League, putting them at risk of not reaching the knockout stages later in this campaign.

After facing previous losses to Manchester City and Real Betis, Porto have consistently conceded the first goal, putting them immediately at a disadvantage.

As they approach the midway point of the league stage this season, Porto are in need of at least nine points to secure a place in the playoffs—and even that may not suffice.

With challenging matches against Feyenoord and Liverpool still ahead, Françasco Farioli’s squad must capitalize on their home advantage this week, having maintained their domestic dominance in their last fixture.

Following a three-year wait for a Portuguese title, they continue to carry that momentum into the current season: they currently sit atop the Primeira Liga table with ten consecutive wins, leaving them ahead of both Lisbon teams.

Porto recorded yet another clean sheet with a comfortable 4-0 win over bottom-placed Estoril over the weekend, having conceded just four goals throughout the season so far.

However, the expectation is for them to step up their performances on the European stage, as the former Champions League winners aim to reclaim their past glories.

As Farioli prepares to take on fellow Tuscan Massimiliano Allegri on Wednesday, it will mark the fifth competitive encounter between Porto and Napoli.

In their previous two-legged matches, both teams have progressed once: the Italian side advanced in the 1974-75 UEFA Cup, while Porto triumphed 3-2 on aggregate in the 2013-14 Europa League.

In this fixture, Napoli find themselves three points clear of their Portuguese rivals in the Champions League standings, having narrowly won a chaotic seven-goal match against Bodo/Glimt during matchday three.

After suffering losses to Arsenal and Villarreal before their encounter with the Norwegian underdogs, Allegri’s team finally achieved the club’s 100th victory in UEFA competitions, largely due to a double from Scott McTominay.

However, ahead of their trip to northern Portugal, Napoli have not secured a win in their last seven away fixtures in the Champions League, which partly explains their position of 30th out of 36 teams last season.

A previous finalist with Juventus, Allegri has personally experienced defeats in eight of his last ten high-level matches, and he faces scrutiny due to disappointing results domestically.

Following a 2-0 defeat to Juventus on Sunday, Napoli currently sit in eighth place in Serie A, and with a 14-point gap to unexpected leaders Lazio, they are seemingly out of contention for the title.

Team News

Porto will continue to be without injured players William Gomes and Vasco Sousa, while the availability of Polish winger Oskar Pietuszewski for midweek remains uncertain.

Pietuszewski missed Saturday’s league game due to a slight thigh injury, and left-back Zaidu departed at halftime with a knee problem.

Martim Fernandes did not participate in that match due to tonsillitis but could return on Wednesday; Chris Smalling, Gabriel Mec, and Dominik Prpic will not feature, having been omitted from Farioli’s Champions League roster.

Allegri is facing numerous absences that have diminished his options: Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli, Alisson Santos, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Benoit Badiashile were unavailable before Stanislav Lobotka sustained an ankle injury last week.

Vanja-Milinkovic Savic also missed the loss to Juventus due to a knock, and their primary striker Rasmus Hojlund was sidelined by flu.

Additionally, full-backs Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera both faced muscle injuries during the match in Turin.

Despite a minor ankle sprain, Kevin De Bruyne is anticipated to make his 86th appearance in the Champions League: the experienced Belgian has created 10 chances from open play in this season’s tournament, with only Lamine Yamal (11) having provided more.

Porto probable starting XI:

D. Costa; A. Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Zaidu; Froholdt, Rosario, Veiga; Pepe, Samu, Sainz

Napoli probable starting XI:

Meret; Beukema, Rrahmani, Marin; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, Olivera; McTominay, Vergara; Hojlund

A combination of Porto’s impressive domestic record and Napoli’s struggles on the road strongly points toward a home victory on Wednesday evening.

As they struggle in Serie A and deal with a significant injury list, Napoli’s hosts could finally secure some points on the board.