Champions League Round of 16: Week One Preview
Photo Courtesy of FC Basel Twitter @FC_Basel.
FC Basel (Swiss Super League) v. FC Porto (Primeira Liga)
Where: St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland
When: Wednesday, February 18 2:45pm Eastern, Fox Soccer 2Go
Overview: This should be an exciting match up for those that enjoy seeing good teams from leagues that are not televised quite as much. Both Basel and Porto have only reached the quarterfinal stage of Champions League once in their history. With this pairing, we are guaranteed to see one of the sides make their second historic trip to the quarters. Porto are in incredible European form, only losing 1 of their past 14 overall.
FC Basel, the home side for the first leg, shockingly made it out of a group that contained Real Madrid and Liverpool. They ousted the latter on the final day of the Group Stages. The Swiss side pride themselves on defense and only conceded once at home in three Group Stage matches (and that was against defending champions Real Madrid). Unfortunately for FCB, they are without star defender Fabian Schär, who is suspended due to card accumulation in the previous round.
FC Porto may be one of the most underrated European sides. Captain Jackson Martinez leads the way, both in leadership and in goals with 25 across all competitions. Yacine Brahimi is the next closest in the goal-scoring department with 10 in all competitions. Hector Herrera and Casemiro lead a strong midfield for a side that scored 16 goals in 6 Group Stage matches. The argument against Porto is that they won the weakest Champions League group, but they’ll look to put all that talk to bed with an impressive first leg in Switzerland.
Players to Watch: For Basel to be successful, they will need to be strong down the middle. Defensively, they should be able to hold their ground, but the key will come in transition from defense to offense. A lot of the burden will fall on the shoulders of central midfielder Fabian Frei. Whether Frei can help transition the Swiss side quick enough will determine their success in this crucial first leg.
A striker garnering interest all over Europe is the aforementioned Jackson Martinez of Porto. The Colombian has the pace to beat defenders, the intelligence to make great runs and find openings, and the guile to finish from almost anywhere in or around the box. Basel will have their hands full with Porto’s offensive metronome.
Prediction: FC Basel 1, FC Porto 1. Basel is shorthanded without Schär, but still have the defensive formation and organization to thwart many of Porto’s attempts. Possession will heavily favor the Portugese side, but it’s a matter of if they’ll be able to break the Swiss side in the final third.