Porto vs Besiktas: Preview – Black Eagles hope to break curse
Besiktas take on Porto in their opening Champions League clash at the Dragao stadium.
Porto have never lost to Turkish opposition in European competition.
The Portuguese giants have faced Super Lig sides eight times and have never been defeated once.
See More: Porto vs Besiktas: Probable Lineups – Aboubakar will not face his former club
Besiktas will be hoping the likes of former Porto stars Pepe and Quaresma will help them break the curse.
The Black Eagles also have Anderson Talisca on loan from Benfica who will be familiar with the Portuguese giants.
Besiktas have won the league title for the past two seasons and it looks increasingly like history will remember this period as a golden era for the club.
The Istanbul giants narrowly missed out on making it out of the Champions League group stage last season.
Besiktas were undefeated until match day 6 when Dynamo Kiev beat them to send them to the Europa League.
Senol Gunes’ side have developed a winning mentality and European experience over the past few seasons.
As Benfica found out last season Besiktas are no pushovers, the Portuguese outfit were unable to beat the Super Lig giants home or away.
This is Porto’s seventh successive group stage campaign but they have won only two of their last seven home games in European competition.
Porto will be without Vincent Aboubakar who is suspended. The powerful striker spent last season on loan at Besiktas and his absence will be a major blow for the home side.
The Cameroon striker has five league goals to his name.
The home side will also be without Maxi Pereira who is serving a one-game ban.
Besiktas face a tough task in Portugal but what has impressed me about the visitors is how gritty they have become. The Eagles play aesthetically pleasing attack minded football but they had a naivety to their game which was exploited in the past, especially in European competition football.
The Istanbul giants have matured. The likes of Pepe and Quaresma have given them a competitive edge. Today’s Besiktas know how to get the job done and will play dirty if necessary.
Prediction: Besiktas +0.5 (Asian Handicap)
Porto vs Besiktas: Probable Lineups
Stadium: Dragao Stadı
Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Porto: Casillas, Layun, Marcano, Felipe, Telles, Brahimi, Torres, Danilo Pereira, Corona, Marega, Tiquinho
Manager: Sérgio Conceição
Besiktas: Fabri, Adriano, Pepe, Tosic, Caner, Oğuzhan, Atiba, Quaresma, Talisca, Babel, Cenk Tosun
Manager: Şenol Güneş
