Porto and Malaga meet on Tuesday in the first leg of the round of 16 Champions League bout.
Porto started off its group stage extremely well with a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb and followed it up with a resounding 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain. A 3-2 win over Dynamo Kiev seemed to guarantee a spot for the Portuguese side, but a 0-0 draw in the ensuing match the Ukrainian squad seemed to expose some of its weaknesses. A 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the rematch clinched the spot, but Porto failed to defeat Paris Saint-Germain in the final game and lost the top spot in the group.
Despite Porto's spot atop the Portuguese league, manager Vitor Pereira is cautious about his team's chances against Malaga. ''Malaga are fourth in the league, they beat Milan in the group stages, they have proved their quality," Pereira said. ''Although they have players who stand out and have the capacity to decide a game, I admire Malaga as a team.''
Malaga had a tremendous group stage in which it won its first three matches without conceding a single goal. However, in its fourth match Malaga drew 1-1 with AC Milan. In the fifth match, the team blew a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 against Zenit St. Petersburg. In the final match, Malaga continued to blow leads and settled for a 2-2 draw with Anderlecht.
The team is undergoing a great deal of turmoil as its superstar player Isco has recently stated that he could leave the team. "I am not afraid, because my head is focused here," the 20-year old said regarding his future "Any club who pays that much money will surely be a big club."
"Then, if it is to help Malaga, I would not have a problem accepting a departure which would be good for everyone."
Prediction: Porto wins 3-1.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
TV Info: MSG Plus
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