FC Porto are in search of their first win in Group B of the UEFA Champions League as they host Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. Neither team has been particularly convincing this season but Porto are in desperate need of a victory and will be banking on a solid home record to get the better of Leverkusen.
FC Porto suffered a disappointing 4-0 home defeat to Club Brugge in their previous Champions League fixture. They were constantly carved open at the back by the Germans and failed to take their chances at the other end of the pitch.
That was the second straight defeat in the competition for Porto following a late 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid in their opening fixture. Sergio Conceicao’s men need a swift turnaround in fortunes to stand a chance of progressing from the group.
The good news for Porto is that they can build on their solid domestic form having claimed three wins and a draw from their last four Primeira Liga matches. They have also won eight of their last nine matches across all competitions at home, including a 4-1 victory over Sporting Braga last Friday.
Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from a matchday one defeat to Club Brugge to win 2-0 over Atletico Madrid in their previous fixture. After a cagey first half, Robert Andrich opened the scoring while Moussa Diaby added the second three minutes from time.
That is the only win in the last six matches for Bayer Leverkusen, who have generally struggled to find their best form this season. They warmed up for the trip to Portugal with a 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in a Bundesliga fixture last Saturday.
Another problem for Bayer Leverkusen is a poor record on their travels having claimed just one win from their last six away matches across all competitions. Gerardo Seoane’s men have lost four times in that run, including the 1-0 defeat to Club Brugge in their opening Champions League fixture.
How the bookies view it
FC Porto have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 5/4 by Sport Nation to claim the win. Unibet is offering odds of 47/20 for a Bayer Leverkusen victory while a draw is priced at 5/2 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Bayer Leverkusen have never lost to FC Porto, claiming two wins and a draw from three previous meetings. They did the double over Porto during the knockout phase of the Europa League in 2020 with the clash at the Estadio do Dragao ending 3-1.
Players to watch
Evanilson has been in good form for FC Porto lately and was on target in the win over Braga last Saturday. The attacker will be the one to watch on Tuesday and is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Patrik Schick remains the biggest attacking threat for Bayer Leverkusen and is expected to lead the line on Tuesday. Unibet has the striker at odds of 39/20 to get on the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
FC Porto and Bayer Leverkusen know their way to goal and both teams could be backed to score at 4/6 with William Hill. The last meeting at the Estadio do Dragao produced over 3.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 2/1 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is valued at 4/5 by William Hill.
Porto have opened the scoring in four of their last five home matches and could be backed to grab the first goal on Sunday at 4/5 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between FC Porto and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on Oct 4, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best FC Porto vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
