Portuguese side FC Porto are dreaming of another UEFA Europa League trophy, but first they have to reach the knockout phase and they need a good result against Feyenoord on Thursday at Estadio do Dragao in order to get there. Feyenoord won the reverse fixture 2-0 in October and it was their first ever win over FC Porto after a draw and a defeat recorded in 1993. FC Porto have never lost a home match against a Dutch side in Europe, they have recored 5 wins and a draw so far, while Feyenoord have never won an away match against a team from Portugal.
FC Porto are in a good position ahead of the final round of group matches, they are one point behind Group H leaders Rangers, tied on seven points with Young Boys, and two points against Feyenoord. This situation means that Porto would be sure of pulling through with a win, while a draw could also qualify them as long as Young Boys don't beat Rangers in the other match. FC Porto are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions and have won five of them. Last week they were held to a 1-1 draw at Belenenses in the Portuguese league. Romario Baro and Vincent Aboubakar are injured for the home side.
Feyenoord have only one chance to pull through to the next round: win the match against FC Porto. However, their away form in this Europa League group has been terrible so far, they have lost both matches and only their good home results managed to keep them in with a chance at this point. They are on a unbeaten run of their own, they have not lost any of their last seven matches in all competitions, but they have only won three of them. They also have a bit of an injury crisis at the moment, with Sven van Beek, Edgar Ie, Rick Karsdorp, Ridgeciano Haps, Justin Bijlow and Kenneth Vermeer all ruled out for this match.
Probable line-ups:
FC Porto: Marchesin - Manafa, Pepe, Marcano, Telles - Otavio, Uribe, Pereira, Corona - Luis, Marega
Feyenoord: Marsman - Geertruida, Senesi, Botteghin, Malacia - Kokcu, Fer, Tornstra - Berghuis, Sinisterra, Larsson
My prediction:
Feyenoord are not that good away from home, and FC Porto are in pretty good shape at the moment, so I think the home side will win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at NetBet:
FC Porto win - 1.38
Draw - 4.65
Feyenoord win - 8.75
