This week, FC Porto welcome Belgian side, Royal Antwerp, to the Estadio do Dragao in the UEFA Champions League. Evanilson took home the match ball when the clubs met last time out, as the Portuguese side walked away with a convincing 4-1 victory.
FC Porto
If the Portuguese outfit don’t let their performance levels drop, then it looks set that they will book themselves a place in the knockout stages. Porto have been impressive so far, beating Antwerp and Shakhtar, whilst only being edged by Barcelona. The Dragoes have only conceded three goals, whilst scoring freely with a tally of seven.
That said, they have struggled in front of goals for their standards in the Liga Portugal, netting an average of 1.3 times per game. Sergio Conceicao’s team are difficult to break down, but they are yet to start firing in attack. After ten games they sit in third place, with a win percentage of 70%.
Royal Antwerp
Unfortunately, Antwerp have lost all three of their games in Group H and therefore, they are rock bottom. Mark van Bommel’s team have conceded 12 goals, the most in the Champions League by four goals. They’ve also struggled in attack, only netting three times.
Domestically in the Pro League, they sit in sixth place, winning five of their 13 matches. However, Antwerp do boast the best defensive record in the league, conceding 12 times. Yet, confidence on the road is at an all time low, winning just once in seven attempts.
Verdict?
Porto go into the game off the back of a disappointing home defeat to Estoril and they will be desperate to redeem themselves this week. They should have enough to beat Antwerp, with the visitors struggling for away form.
The final prediction is FC Porto 2-0 Royal Antwerp.
