Champions League / Ben Lyttleton / 29 September 2009 / Leave a comment

Less than six months after clashing in the knock-out stages of last year's Champions League, these two face each other again. FC Porto may have lost their two biggest names over the summer but they're still a handy outfit, says Ben Lyttleton.

"As always, it’s in defence where Atletico’s problems are still very much
apparent. They have conceded nine goals in their three matches since their
Matchday One draw with APOEL Nicosia, have the worst defence in La Liga with
13 goals conceded in five games and have slipped into the drop-zone in Spain
which has only increased the pressure on coach Abel Resino."

One thing that regularly gets overlooked amid all the talk of a European Super League is that there already is one, and it's called the Champions League. On Wednesday night, Porto and Atletico Madrid will do battle just over six months after facing each other in last season's first knockout round. Porto got through then, on away goals after drawing 2-2 in Spain and 0-0 in Portugal, but since then there have been big changes at the Portuguese champions.

As always, the club have cashed in on their biggest assets, and they came no bigger than Argentine pair Lucho Gonzalez (now at Marseille, for €18m) and Lisandro Lopez (Lyon, €24m): the fact that Lisandro scored both goals for Porto back in February shows what a hole he has left.

And yet once again, Porto have recruited cleverly to fill the gaps: Hulk is now in his second season and showed in the Matchday One defeat at Chelsea that he has the strength and on-ball cunning to trouble England captain John Terry, while the highly-rated Colombian Falcao is starting to come good after joining from River Plate. He scored the winner in Porto's weekend win over Sporting.

With Raul Meireles pulling the strings in the midfield, and playmaker Fernando Belluschi in line for his European bow for Porto, the loss of Lisandro and Lucho seems well-covered. More important is the presence of Bruno Alves at the back: linked with Real Madrid and Barcelona over the summer, he has stayed and forms the bedrock of the backline.

As always, it's in defence where Atletico's problems are still very much apparent. They have conceded nine goals in their three matches since their Matchday One draw with APOEL Nicosia, have the worst defence in La Liga with 13 goals conceded in five games and have slipped into the drop-zone in Spain which has only increased the pressure on coach Abel Resino. With first-choice goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo representing Spain Under-20s at the World Cup in Egypt, his deputy Roberto Jimenez has looked all at sea, not helped by the total lack of support from senior defenders like Tomas Ujfalusi and Antonio Lopez.

The seasons may change, but Atletico's off-pitch squabbles and mind-boggling
defensive issues never do. That's why Porto must be backed for the home win
at ([1.96]) and the Over-3.5 Goals price is a tempting ([3.65]).

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