Betdistrict.com
FC Porto hosts the surprising Swiss side of FC Basel today after a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this Champions League Round 16 tie.
Porto was clearly the better team in Switzerland, having more chances and over 70% possession (!!), but on the other hand equalized in the 80th minute via a penalty … so overall they were content with the scoring draw. The hosts are the most in form team in Portugal at the moment, playing amazing football and fighting their way back to title contention … except for the draw vs Basel, Porto won 7 consecutive matches and also kept a clean sheet in the last 6! Last two matches were pretty hard, vs. Sporting and Braga, but Porto won 3-0 and 1-0. Oliver and Adrian will miss today’s game but the biggest blow will be the absence of Jackson Martinez.
Porto lineup: Fabiano – Danilo, Marcano, Maicon, Sandro – Herrera, Casemiro – Tello, Brahimi, Quaresma – Aboubakar
Bet on Porto vs. Basel and claim your 100% welcome bonus at Bet365.com now!
After the first leg vs. Porto, FC Basel went on to lose 2-4 against Young Boys in Switzerland … but since then the visitors won 3 consecutive games and has a very strong grip on another domestic title … not that there was ever any question about that. The visitors are healthier than usual and can field almost their best lineup: they only miss two players in Suchy (suspended) and Ivanov (injured). Schaar will be back in the team.
Basel lineup: Vaclik – Safari, Samuel, Schar, Xhaka – Frei, Zuffi – El Nenny, Streller, Gashi – Gonzalez
Porto is just too good at the moment, they are playing their best football, are great at home and have better quality than Basel. The Swiss team is not to be underestimated and will go down fighting, but they will go down … after fighting their hearts out for that draw at home, they will find it much harder to compete in Porto. Despite some good performances away from home this season, Basel is known to collapse on the road against stronger opponents in Europe (just see last season’s 0-5 vs. Valencia).
Look for Porto to get a goal at some point in the first 60 minutes and they might well get another when Basel has to come out of its shell, leaving some spaces … my tip will be Porto to win and cover the 1 goal asian handicap. Note that the odds on Porto to win are going down fast. They have everything on the cards to qualify and I am confident they will do it in style, probably with another clean sheet also. Correct score prediction: FC Porto – FC Basel 2-0.
Pick: Porto (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.77 @ Ladbrokes
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.16
Event date: 10 March
