FC Porto host Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League fixture on Wednesday with both teams looking to maintain winning starts in Group H. The Portuguese side are usually tricky opponents, especially at home but the Catalans are looking confident at the moment and should have the upper hand.
FC Porto made a winning start to their UEFA Champions League campaign as they picked up a 3-1 win at Shakhtar Donetsk. All the goals were scored in the first half with a brace from Galeno and a Mehdi Taremi effort earning them the points.
Given the quality of opposition in Group H, Porto are expected to progress to the knockout stage, although they would be keen to pip Barcelona to top spot. Sergio Conceicao’s men are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches, claiming six wins in that run.
The one defeat for Porto in the midst of their recent good form came last weekend as they were beaten 1-0 at Benfica in a Primeira Liga fixture. An early Red card to Fabio Cardoso saw them play much of the encounter with 10 men and they could only muster two attempts on target.
Barcelona were rampant in their opening fixture as they claimed a 5-0 victory over debutants Antwerp. Joao Felix helped himself to a brace while Robert Lewandowski and Gavi were also on target.
Manager Xavi has plenty of reasons to be pleased with Barcelona’s start to the season as they are yet to taste defeat across all competitions. They are one point off the pace in the La Liga standings and warmed up for the trip to Porto with a 1-0 victory over Sevilla last Friday.
Barcelona have also been solid on their travels this season with two wins and two draws in their last four away matches. They were held to a 2-2 La Liga draw at Mallorca in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 9/10 with 10bet. Porto are considered outsiders at home at 3/1 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 29/10 by William Hill.
Head to head
There has been only one previous meeting between Barcelona and Porto with the Catalans claiming a 2-0 victory in the UEFA Super Cup back in 2011.
Players to watch
Mehdi Taremi has proven to be a man for the big occasion and could be worth keeping an eye on for Porto. The striker was on target at Shakhtar Donetsk on match-day one and could be backed to find the net on Wednesday at 3/1 with bet365.
Robert Lewandowski should continue to lead the line for Barcelona having scored four goals in his last five matches. The Polish striker was also on target on match-day one and is priced at 11/10 by William Hill to find the net on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
FC Porto and Barcelona produced over 3.5 goals in their opening fixtures and could be set for a repeat at 15/8 with Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 8/11 with 888Sport, sho is also offering odds of 4/6 on both teams to score.
Barcelona scored in both halves in their opening fixture and Wednesday's clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 17/10 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Champions League match between FC Porto and Barcelona will be played on Oct 4, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best FC Porto vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
