Porto vs Liverpool: Champions League preview, team news, stats, kick-off time

Team news and stats ahead of Porto vs Liverpool in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday; kick-off 8pm.

Team news

Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin has been sidelined since the middle of last month after knee surgery and is absent.

Chancel Mbemba was sent off against Atletico Madrid and is suspended for the game against Liverpool.

Former Real Madrid centre-half Pepe has not played since injuring his leg against Atletico and the 38-year-old will miss out once again.

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Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita will rejoin the squad for the Group B game at the Estadio do Dragao, but Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly not travelled with the Liverpool squad.

Alexander-Arnold was pictured in training earlier on Monday at Kirby but was not spotted in Porto when Jurgen Klopp's team arrived on Monday evening.

Guinea international Keita missed Saturday's draw at Brentford with a foot injury sustained in the midweek Carabao Cup win at Norwich but trained on Monday.

Wales right-back Neco Williams, who has been sidelined all season by an ankle injury, was also back with the squad and with no new injury concerns, Klopp is likely to make changes ahead of this weekend's visit of Manchester City.

• Champions League fixtures | Results | Group tables
• Liverpool fixtures

Opposition in focus

Sergio Conceicao's Porto team, quarter-finalists last season, host Liverpool on Tuesday looking to build on the 0-0 draw secured at Atletico Madrid in their Group B opener, which concluded with their former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba being sent off in stoppage time.

Ex-Reds midfielder Marko Grujic is also among their ranks. Second in Primeira Liga last term behind Sporting Lisbon, they are unbeaten so far this time around, taking 17 points from seven matches.

How to follow

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Follow live updates on SkySports.com and the Sky Sports App from 6.30pm on Tuesday; kick-off 8pm. Also follow second half and reaction on Gillette Soccer Special live on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Premier League from 7pm.

Opta stats

• FC Porto have faced Liverpool on eight previous occasions in European competition - six of which have been in the UEFA Champions League - while they are still looking for their first victory against the Reds (D3 L5).
• This will be the fifth time Liverpool have faced FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League since Jürgen Klopp became the club's manager - they've won more games (3), scored more goals (11) and kept more clean sheets (3) against them than any other opponent in the competition under Klopp.
• FC Porto have only scored one goal in their four UEFA Champions League games against Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool (D1 L3), despite attempting 45 shots across these meetings. Liverpool, meanwhile, have netted 11 times from 54 attempts against them in this period.
• FC Porto have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three group stage games at the Estádio do Dragão in the UEFA Champions League; since the current group stage format came in (2003-04), this is their longest run of this type.
• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five away games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (W4 D1), while they've kept a clean sheet in three of their four victories in this run. Their last away defeat in the group stage came back in September 2019, losing 0-2 at Napoli.
• FC Porto's previous UEFA Champions League game against Atlético Madrid saw just 11 shots attempted (five for, six against); the fewest of any game on MD1. Meanwhile, Liverpool's first game of the 2021-22 tournament saw 30 shots attempted, with 23 of those coming in the Reds' favour (seven against).

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