FC Porto vs Krasnodar – 13/08/2019 Preview

Qualification of Champions League slowly coming to an end. In the Semi-final there are no more interesting matches that FC Porto vs Krasnodar. 1st leg in Krasnodar between these teams finished with Porto advantage, as they won 1:0 in a very tough game. Lots of dangerous moments were lost, as only one goal was scored, but it could be much more. During the first half, Porto absolutely dominated in the match, had 9 goal attempts and better ball possession. Second half was very equal as both teams had chances to score, however, Porto stood solid in defense, and sharper in attacks. As a result, at 89th minute they managed to break through the opponents’ defense and snatch a very important away victory. In the second match, Porto will have a big advantage and play even more confidently at Estádio do Dragão, in Porto.

Both teams look very confident in the local championships, but Porto is more experienced in the UEFA Champions League. Last year, they lost against the current Champions Liverpool in the Quarter Final, beating Roma in the previous stage. A large number of technical players will give us the opportunity to watch this entertaining game. Review our thoughts about FC Porto vs Krasnodar match here below.

FC Porto

FC Porto is a very talented team that takes very high positions in the Portuguese Primeira Liga every season. The team has tremendous experience in Euro Cups as a young and very promising. Moreover, last year they won Taca de Portugal and added another cup to the trophy room. Every season they produce great players who then move to the top European clubs and take very important positions. This year is no exception, and during the summer transfer window, they sold Eder Militao to Real Madrid for 50m €, Felipe to Atletico Madrid for 20m €, Oliver Torres for 12m € to Sevilla and others. However, this time they also brought several talented footballers. The most known player is Ze Luis who played previously for Braga. He spent 4 years as the main striker of Russian ex-Champions. Since January experienced Pepe joined the club and now leads the team with strong defense and motivational words.

In general, FC Porto were underdogs before the previous game, as in Russia Premier League already started and Krasnodar have more playable practice after the summer break. But the first game showed that this is not the most important factor. Porto showed themselves well in the preparatory matches, however, lost their first game in Primeira Liga against Gil Vicente. Now they will gain form with each game.

Unfortunately, D. Costa, Marius and D. Pereira are still under question, if they will join the squad.

Krasnodar

Krasnodar last season took 3rd place in Russian Premier League and pointing this year even higher position. In 30 games, they lost only 6 and have played 8 draws. During the last 5 seasons, Krasnodar has a position not less than 4, which is actually a very good result knowing the financial opportunities and strong competition in Russia. Murad Musaev built a strong defense team and very dangerous in attack. This season, Krasnodar already played 5 domestic League matches. They lost the opening round against Akhmat Grozny in an equal game and have drawn the match against leaders Zenit Petersburg conceding the late A. Dzyuba goal. All other games they won and now stand at 3rd position with 7 points.

Krasnodar likes to play technical football through the Brazilian players. Ari and Wanderson are regular attack creators and most important team players. During the summer transfer window, they brought Remy Cabella from Saint Etienne to strengthen their attack and Tonny Vilhena who are very great at creating dangerous moments and building the game from the middle. Unfortunately, after 6 great years in Krasnodar, Mauricio Pereyra joined Orlando City on a free transfer. He was one of the team leaders.

V. Claesson will miss the next important game against Porto due to a Knee injury, and still Y. Gazinskij is under question.

Article image is taken from https://24.sapo.pt/desporto/artigos/uma-mao-e-um-pe-foi-o-que-bastou-ao-fc-porto-para-sair-de-krasnodar-com-a-vitoria