Porto vs Liverpool, Tues 18 Sept (ko 7.45pm BST)
Rafa Benitez, the Incredible Rotating Manager, rested star men Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for Liverpool’s league clash with Portsmouth at the weekend, with this tricky fixture in mind – it’s probably Liverpool’s toughest group match in the Champions League. I expect Benitez will replace ‘B’ strike force Andriy Voronin and Peter Crouch with Torres and Dirk Kuyt tonight, and of course Gerrard will return in midfield. John Arne Riise and Momo Sissoko are both injured and miss the trip to Portugal, but Fabio Aurelio returns to the squad, having recovered at last from his Achilles injury.
To me, this match has draw written all over it. Porto are traditionally strong at home and currently lead the Portuguese league after four straight victories. But Liverpool are European experts and have the squad to return to Merseyside with a valuable point.
Prediction Porto 0-0 Liverpool