Chelsea take on Porto tonight as the sides’ Champions League quarter-final tie begins.
Both legs of the last-eight clash will take place in Seville due to Covid-related travel rules, with this first leg acting as a ‘home’ match for Porto.
FOLLOW LIVE: Teams and all the action as the Blues face Porto
A semi-final versus either Real Madrid or Liverpool is next for the victors of this tie, with Chelsea the favourites because of their impressive start to Thomas Tuchel’s tenure in charge. The German led his players on a 14-game unbeaten streak, starting from his first match at the end of January, though that run was stopped in dramatic fashion at the weekend as the Blues suffered a stunning 5-2 Premier League loss to 19th-placed West Brom at Stamford Bridge.
Portuguese champions Porto, meanwhile, are on a three-match winning run since their 3-2 second-leg defeat by Juventus in the Champions League last 16 – an extra-time result that ensured Sergio Conceicao’s side safe passage to the final eight on account of their 2-1 first-leg victory. Chelsea, meanwhile, were 3-0 aggregate winners against Atletico Madrid in the last round.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.
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When is it?
The match will kick off at 8pm GMT this evening.
How can I watch it?
The fixture will air live on BT Sport, with subscribers also able to watch it live on the broadcaster’s website and app.
Confirmed line-ups
Porto: Marchesin; Manafa, Pepe, Mbemba, Zaidu; Grujic, Uribe, Otavio, Tecatito; Luis Diaz, Marega
Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Mount, Havertz, Werner
Odds
Porto: 4/1
Draw: 5/2
Chelsea: 3/4
Prediction
Porto were seen as the most favourable opponents for the other seven teams when the quarter-final draw was made, but they are no pushovers – as they demonstrated by eliminating Italian champions Juventus in the last round. That fact, coupled with Chelsea’s poor result against West Brom at the weekend, will give Blues fans cause for concern. But Chelsea still have the greater quality and depth, and that should at least be enough to secure a vital away goal and draw here, if not a win. Porto 1-1 Chelsea.
