Surprise Premier League champions Leicester City prepare for their first home match in the Champions League as they play host to Portuguese champions FC Porto on Tuesday. As expected, the two sides have never met before as the Foxes have never played in the Champions League, where Porto have been a regular presence over the past decades. The Portuguese side have lost just three of their last 21 matches in this competition so this will be the first real test for Leicester in the Champions League.
With the weight of last season's success on their shoulders, Leicester City seem to be preparing for a season of mediocrity in the Premier League. They have won just two league games out of six so far, against Swansea and Burnley, and got thrashed by Liverpool and Manchester United. Last weekend they lost 4-1 at the Red Devils, a few days after being knocked out of the League Cup by Chelsea. They did start their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win at Bruges though, but Porto are a team of a whole different caliber. Nampalys Mendy and Kasper Schmeichel are expected to miss out through injury.
FC Porto have been in good shape so far, they have lost just one match since the start of the season but that was a painful defeat in the derby against Sporting. Their Champions League campaign started with a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against FC Copenhagen, then a goalless draw in the Portuguese league at Tondela was followed by a good 3-1 win over Boavista last time out. Maxi Pereira is the only injury concern for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
Probable line-ups:
Leicester: Zieler - Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs - Mahrez, King, Drinkwater, Gray - Okazaki, Vardy
Porto: Casillas - Layun, Felipe, Marcano, Telles - Herrera, Pereira, Torres - Corona, Silva, Otavio
My prediction: Porto to win 3-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Leicester win - 2.30
Draw - 3.40
Porto win - 3.40
09/26/16, 11:09:44 PM
