Porto vs Stuttgart – News and Probable Lineups

In control of this Europa League round-of-16 tie, Porto aims to secure their place in the quarter-finals as they host Stuttgart at Estadio do Dragao on Thursday for the second leg.

Françasco Farioli’s squad enters this fixture with a one-goal lead after achieving a 2-1 win in Germany last week, marking the first encounter between these two teams.

Match overview

A quick start last week saw Porto surge to a two-goal advantage within seven minutes before the 30-minute mark, with Terem Moffi scoring first, quickly followed by a strike from Rodrigo Mora. Denis Undav’s goal in the 40th minute only served as a consolation.

That outcome marked the sixth victory in nine Europa League matches this season (D2, L1) for the Dragons, who advanced directly to this round after a top-eight finish, and it also puts them on the verge of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

A strong home record at the Dragao indicates that Porto can achieve their goal, having lost just once in 21 matches at this venue this season (W18, D2). This streak includes a flawless home record in the league phase, winning all four home matches while scoring at least twice in each.

This home dominance was evident once more on Sunday, as the Blue and Whites netted three goals against Moreirense, courtesy of Gabri Veiga, Oskar Pietuszewski, and William Gomes, thereby extending their lead to seven points atop the Primeira Liga standings.

While this momentum boosts their confidence ahead of Thursday’s match, a rare historical note serves as a caution: the two-time UEL/UEFA Cup champions were ousted by Krasnodar in the 2019-20 Champions League qualifiers despite holding a one-goal advantage from the first leg away.

On the other hand, Stuttgart lacks notable history concerning European comebacks in return legs; however, Sebastian Hoeness’s team can take confidence from their most recent away performance in the Europa League, where they triumphed 4-1 against Celtic in the previous stage.

This result highlighted their attacking prowess away from home, as the Reds scored at least twice in 10 out of their last 13 away matches; all seven wins during that run came with no more than one goal conceded, so defensive discipline will be crucial if they intend to overturn this deficit.

Stuttgart also recently showcased resilience, securing a 1-0 victory over Leipzig at home on the weekend, with Undav’s second-half goal proving crucial.

This win boosted the Reds’ push for Champions League qualification, keeping them fourth in the Bundesliga, while also ending a two-game winless streak and marking only their second victory in six matches across all competitions.

This leaves Stuttgart confronting inconsistency as they head into Thursday’s match, seeking their first quarter-final appearance at the continental level since reaching the UEFA Cup final in the 1988–89 season, where they were defeated by Napoli.

Team News

Porto will be without strikers Samu Omorodion and Luuk de Jong, both ruled out for the remainder of the season due to knee injuries. Additionally, long-term absentee Nehuen Perez is also likely to miss out as he continues to recover from an Achilles issue.

Pietuszewski had to come off during Sunday’s victory over Moreirense, though his absence might not be heavily felt even if confirmed, as he has not featured in any Europa League games since his arrival in January.

On a positive note, the hosts might welcome back veteran defender Thiago Silva, who returned to training on Tuesday after missing the weekend due to a personal loss.

As for Stuttgart, Lazar Jovanovic is anticipated to remain unavailable because of a back injury that has kept him out since early January.

Defender Josha Vagnoman has also missed the last four matches with a thigh injury, putting his availability for Thursday in question.

Porto probable starting XI:

D Costa; A Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Zaidu; Fofana, Rosario, Veiga; Sainz, Moffi, Gomes

Stuttgart probable starting XI:

Nubel; Nartey, Jeltsch, Chabot, Mittelstadt; Karazor, Stiller; Fuhrich, Undav, El Khannouss; Demirovic

Having ended the first leg on an offensive note, Stuttgart will head into the return fixture with optimism as they attempt to reverse the scoreline, though this approach may leave openings for a Porto side that has consistently found ways to secure results this season.

This presents a challenging task for the visitors, whose last three defeats away occurred when they were unable to score more than once, and with the hosts demonstrating reliability at the Dragao, Porto is expected to secure another victory and progress.