Champions League Group G preview: Porto chase away glory

Porto will look for a big improvement when they tackle Group G’s surprise leaders APOEL Nicosia in Tuesday’s Champions League match in Cyprus.

Porto, two-time European champions, may make wholesale changes to their team as they seek to avoid being stunned again by the Cypriots, who they drew 1-1 with at home in their last Champions League match.

APOEL played out a goalless home draw in their domestic league with Anorthosis on Friday.

But APOEL’s Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic said he could understand why the team played so poorly with the Porto match and the possibility of a place in the last 16 looming.

APOEL lead the tightly-bunched Group G quartet with five points, one clear of Zenit St Petersburg and Porto and three ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Portuguese champions were booed by their fans after they drew with APOEL earlier this month.

Coach Vitor Pereira said his team had no choice but to go for the three points in Nicosia.

“The APOEL match is fundamental to us. We know that to go over there and win will require a Porto side at its very best level,” Pereira said.

“I am sure that in the APOEL match, with a good performance and a good win, the fans will applaud, because they love the club and they love football.”

Pereira has not been afraid to make significant changes, having dropped regulars Kleber and Nicolas Otamendi for striker Walter and centre back Eliaquim Mangala.

Mangala, also captain of France’s under-21 team, will probably feature against APOEL but Walter cannot be picked because he was not registered to play in the Champions League, a decision that Pereira has publicly regretted.

APOEL are without injured goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis and Brazilian defender William Boaventura while midfielder Marchinho is not 100 percent fit after a lengthy injury absence and is unlikely to feature.

In the group’s other match, Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg will seek their 11th successive European home win against Ukraine giants Shakhtar Donetsk.

Goals from midfielder Viktor Faizulin, forward Alexander Bukharov and Serbian winger Danko Lazovic gave Zenit a 3-0 win over Russian league minnows Volga Nizhny in their last match and Zenit sit on top of the table, two points ahead of CSKA Moscow.

Russia striker Alexander Kerzhakov may miss with an ankle injury while attacking midfielder Vladimir Bystrov is an unlikely starter.

Shakhtar, who have a 5-5 win-loss record in their last 10 European away matches, will also be without several first-choice players.

Fullback Dmitry Chygrynskiy has a serious hip injury suffered in the Ukraine Cup match with Dynamo Kiev, while Brazilian midfielders Fernandinho and Jadson are injured.