Porto away.

Back in March 2010, when Nicklas Bendtner smashed a hat-trick past Porto in a 5-0 win that overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg, progressing through the last 16 of the Champions League seemed standard.
Fast forward 14 years and we have yet to taste the sweet joys of quarter finals since. 7 defeats at the last 16 stage and 6 seasons of Europa or no European football at all followed.

Now we face Porto at the last 16 stage again, time to right those wrongs. On Wednesday night we play the away leg, in a country where we have failed to win in 8 of the last 9 visits from Benfica in 1992 to as recently as last years draw with Sporting in the Europa which saw us exit at the last 16 stage of that competition!!

This isn't a vintage Porto team, they sit 3rd and 7 points behind Benfica in the Primeira Liga. Their league defensive record is good (16 conceded in 22 games) but they have scored 21 less than Sporting with just 37 goals.
They won 2-0 on Saturday, the first win in 3 after a draw and loss in their previous two league games.

They are captained by world class nutter Pepe, who turns 41 between the 2 matches. Brazilian striker Evanilson is their top scorer with 19 in all competitions, and 4 in the Champions League. His countryman Galeno also has 4 CL goals (8 in all comps), as well as 3 assists. Mehdi Taremi, Toni Martinez, another Pepe, and Francisco Conceicao are other attacking threats.

In the group stages Porto won 4 of the 6, losing home and away to Barcelona. Contrary to their domestic form, Porto smashed in 14 goals in the 4 wins.

They have received 6 red cards this season, with Pepe getting 2 and his CB partner Cardoso also sent off twice. Conceicao and the other Pepe have picked up 15 yellows between them despite being wingers and the team have picked up 88 yellows.

It looks like it will be a physical challenge, and considering our record in Portugal a draw may be the most likely result. As long as we don't repeat the Milan/Monaco first legs from years gone by!