Champions League: FC Porto vs. FC Barcelona

Andre | 3rd Oct. 2023 | Sport: Football

Football Tips: Porto - Barcelona
The 2. Round of 16 in the Champions League is upon us, killing time until the next round of Bundesliga games. This Wednesday's clash between FC Porto and FC Barcelona is also a clash between Portugal and Spain. The bookmakers have the Catalans as the favourites and I have Barcelona as the favourites, so I will give you the away win. Porto do play some good football, but Barcelona are a different proposition and have been on a roll for the last year or so. Two weeks ago, I was backing Porto, but today I am going in the other direction.

Porto lose big in Portugal
FCP went down 1-0 to Benfica in the midweek clash, and that has left them in a bad mood ahead of their clash with Barcelona. Earlier this month, they dropped points against newcomers Arouca, and now they find themselves trailing in the league. The Champions League kick-off against Donezk in Hamburg a fortnight ago was a good one, especially in the first half. For me, though, there are weaknesses in the squad that Donezk could not exploit - the situation is different for Barca.

Barcelona overwhelming favourites in Group H
The Spaniards were fortunate in their draw and debutants Royal Antwerpen were shown their limitations in a 5-0 defeat on the opening day. Barcelona are the reigning Spanish champions and are in good form, even if they were held to a 2-2 draw by Mallorca. Joao Felix and Lewandowski are a joy to watch up front, and the defensive unit has been a particular strength over the past year. In 38 league games last year, they conceded just 20(!) goals, two of which came on the unimportant final matchday. Unfortunately, the midfield has lost both De Jong and Pedri.

My Porto vs. Barcelona Champions League prediction
Looking at the way the game will unfold, I see Barcelona controlling the tempo and the game and not allowing much to happen at the back. They will then be able to get forward and sooner or later take a 1-0 lead. Barcelona simply have more quality in all four areas of the team and I think Porto will be pushed to their limits. I therefore recommend taking the easy away win at a good 1.87.

Bet: Bet 2

The best odds are with bet365: 1,87