Basel have to try to hold off Porto's high-octane attack at home if they're to stand any chance of advancing in the Champions League. Can they pull it off?
Every time this round of the Champions League comes around, one or two ties get overlooked. When you've got matchups like Barcelona against Manchester City or Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain, it's easy to look past Basel squaring off with Porto as relatively unimportant. After all, neither side is likely to make a deep run towards the final, so who cares which club wins?
That's a good way to miss an incredibly entertaining tie, though. Just because Basel and Porto don't have the same name cachet or punching power of Bayern Munich or Real Madrid doesn't mean that they can't play some fun football, and just because they don't have a great chance of making the final doesn't mean they won't fight for every minute they're still in the tournament. This could be an epic throwdown between two very good sides, and if you can watch, you absolutely should.
Key player - Jackson Martinez (Porto)
A gifted forward, Martinez has the physical power and raw ability to take over this tie, especially with Fabian Schär out for this first leg. Especially if Porto can figure out how to isolate Martinez against Walter Samuel, who the years have not been kind to, they might be able to kill off this tie before they play at home next month. If Martinez can get the better of whoever it is trying to mark him in this match, he could easily become a one-man wrecking crew.
Key Matchup - Taulant Xhaka vs. Hector Herrera
The midfield battle is perhaps more important in competitions like the Champions League than anywhere else, and when both teams have workhorses in midfield like Xhaka and Herrera, that battle can prove quite fascinating. Herrera has blossomed over the last two years, and has the ability to really drive a match for Porto, with the Mexican international's creativity and defensive work rate meshing beautifully with his side's long-standing tactical ethos. Xhaka, a wonderfully versatile Albanian international, will almost certainly be tasked with keeping Herrera in check and beating him if he can, and you can bet that he will put every ounce of energy he has in to accomplishing his goal.
Basel injuries and suspensions
Out: Fabian Schär (suspended), Adama Traore (thigh), Ivan Ivanov (knee).
Porto injuries and suspensions
Out: Adrian Lopez (thigh), Diego Reyes, Ricardo Pereira, Jose Campaña (not named in squad).
The loss of Schar to suspension means that Basel will be without their best defender for this match, and neither Marek Suchy nor the venerable Walter Samuel can fully replace him. Against Porto's high-powered attack, that's a severe disadvantage. Porto are missing a part of that attack in Adrian, though he's mostly been a key figure of the bench this season, not a regular starter. Three other players have already been ruled out ahead of time by Julen Lopetegui for tactical reasons.
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland
TV: FOX Soccer Plus (U.S. - English), FOX Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.), Sportsnet World (Canada), TVI (Portugal), RTS Deux (Switzerland)
Online: FOX Sports Go, FOX Soccer 2 Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), RTS Sport Football (Switzerland), Sky Go (U.K.)
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1E4Vm8H
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