Ahead of their meeting, both Chelsea and Porto will be seeking to improve following disappointing results this past week as each will be coming into this match having drawn in their domestic fixtures. Jose Mourinho's men were less than 15 minutes away from suffering yet another defeat that would have left them just two points out of the drop zone before Willian and Ramires cam off the bench to equalize against Newcastle United.
Whilst the result still leaves Mourinho sans a win at St. James's Park, it nonetheless helped stave off what would have been an utter disaster for the Blues ahead of their trip to Portugal. Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui's side were close to earning all three points but had to settle for one after conceding a late goal and only remain on top of the league due to goal difference.
Porto
A draw with Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev has left today's hosts seeking their first win of the 2015/2016 Champions League. They did not have it easy against the Ukrainians, and had to rely on young Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar to bail them out twice after falling behind, but fans surely would have been dismayed with their team allowing Dynamo Kiev to snatch a point through a late equalizer.
One player that definitely would have felt the brunt of criticism is veteran keeper Iker Casillas. Naturally, the Champions League, World Cup, and EURO winner is no stranger to critiques of his performance but will have some added incentive to put on a good showing as he prepares to welcome Chelsea - and of course, his ex-manager Mourinho - to his new team's home ground later today.
Should the Spanish star feature, it will be his 152nd appearance - topping the 151 set by former Barcelona midfielder Xavi. Clean sheets have been hard to come by for both the keeper and his squad, as the Dragons have conceded six goals in their last seven matches across all competitions.
Last season, Lopetegui successfully guided Porto through the group stages in which they finished top of their group with four wins, two draws, 16 goals scored, and just four conceded. After shocking Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals, they then were on the receiving end of a true German onslaught as die Roten crushed them 6-1 at the Allianz Arena and the two-time Champions League and Europa League winners will hope to have a better run in the continent's premier competition this season.
In terms of personnel, Lopetegui will be definitely without the services of Andre Silva, whilst Yacine Brahimi could be in doubt after suffering an injury during the team's draw last week.
Chelsea
For Mourinho, Porto will hold some special memories. This is where the Portuguese tactician really cut his teeth as a manager, winning his first Champions League trophy in 2004 seemingly against all odds. Despite their indifferent form in the league, Chelsea recorded a comfortable win over Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel-Aviv to take top spot in Group G, and overall have an excellent record against Portuguese sides.
In fact, they have won their past straight eight matches versus Primeira Liga outfits and have an overall record of nine wins, one draw, and just one loss. With regards to Porto specifically, they have faced their upcoming hosts six times, and again it's the Blues with the superior record: four wins, one draw, and one loss. The only time the Dragons were able to get the upper hand over the London giants was on December 7, 2004, during a 2004/2005 Champions League group stage clash.
John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were both on the pitch nearly six years ago when the two sides last met at the Estadio do Dragao that finished as a 1-0 win for the Blues and both will likely be called upon yet again in tonight's fixture. Due to a long-standing knee injury, Thibaut Courtois will play no part and as such, backup keeper Asmir Begovic will again be the man between the posts for Mourinho's side. Despite serving a three-match ban, Diego Costa will be available given that the Brazilian-born Spanish international's suspension only applies to domestic fixtures.
After seeing their three-match winning streak snapped by Newcastle this past weekend, Chelsea will surely hope to get back to winning ways as Mourinho returns to a familiar ground. Still, although Porto do not have a good overall record against Chelsea, the Dragons have an excellent overall home record. They have not lost any of their past 12 games across all competitions and their last defeat at the Estadio do Drago was on December 14, 2014, when Benfica took all three points after winning their "Classico" clash 2-0.
Will this record fall as Porto prepare to welcome a former manager later today? Or will the Dragons slay the Blues to seize top spot in Group G?
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Team sheets for Porto vs Chelsea
Porto's XI: Casillas, Maxi, Maicon, Marcano, Martins Indi, Danilo, Rúben Neves, Imbula, Brahimi, Aboubakar, André.
Chelsea's XI: Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Fabregas, Ramires, Willian, Pedro, Diego Costa.
Porto's subs: Helton, Layún, Corona, Evandro, Tello, Bueno, Osvaldo.
Chelsea's subs: Blackman, Baba Rahman, Terry, Matic, Loftus-Cheek, Hazard, Kenedy.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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