FC Porto vs Antwerp prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-06 20:00.
After winning two of their opening three UEFA Champions League (UCL) outings in Group H this campaign (L1), Porto know that another victory here puts them in the driving seat for progression to the knockout rounds. With difficult matches against Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk still yet to come, the visit of Royal Antwerp, who the Portuguese side comfortably beat 4-1 on matchday three, could be viewed as their easiest route to another three-point haul.
Porto make a swift return home having suffered a shock 1-0 loss here against lowly Estoril Praia in Liga Portugal action at the weekend, their first home domestic loss at Estádio do Dragão since February. Given that the hosts have remarkably not lost back-to-back home competitive outings since October 2008, the alarm bells shouldn’t be ringing too loudly, especially when glancing at their record of winning five of six prior UCL matches against Belgian opposition which should offer a timely confidence boost.
Unlike their hosts here, visiting Antwerp claimed a huge domestic win at the weekend as they beat Genk 3-2 on home soil to push themselves back up the Belgian Pro League standings. That win served as just their third success across their last 11 outings however (D3, L5), with Mark Van Bommel’s side continuing to be hindered by their defensive fragilities.
Their leaky backline has been especially exposed on their return to the UCL as they’ve lost all three of the Group H matches to date, conceding 12 goals in the process – the most of any side in the competition. Their prior away loss to Barcelona on matchday one (5-0) saw them concede three times in the opening 25 minutes so the message from Van Bommel to his side will be clear, they need to hold out for much longer on this occasion!
Players to watch: Ahead of this matchday, Porto’s Evanilson is the UCL’s joint topscorer with three strikes to his name, all of which came in the reverse H2H! As for Antwerp, Vincent Janssen has been their main threat, scoring seven times this season with the last three all coming before the 20th minute.
Hot stat: Only one of Porto’s last seven matches saw both teams score.