By Jordan Carreno

The first leg of the Champions League Quarter-finals has Liverpool hosting Porto at Anfield. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM EST on Tuesday.

Liverpool v FC Porto — 04/09/2019 2000 GMT

The next hurdle in the Reds’ quest to return to the Champions League Final is upon us. Porto come to town as Jurgen and the lads look to continue their European campaign and keep alive their hopes of a double. As always, all three LFC Tampa Bay locations will be open, serving, and showing the match. So, find a way out of work and come on down and join the rest of us in cheering on the Reds. With all that being said, let’s get into the talking points.

Robbo Rotation

The 3–1 victory at the Allianz against Bayern was a nearly perfect performance by Liverpool. Sadio Mane scored a worldie, Van Dijk put in a towering header, and the Reds laid down a marker in the Champions League. Then, as time was ticking away, Andy Roberston put in a poorly time challenge that ended in the Scot getting a yellow card. That booking means that Robbo will be suspended for the first leg on Tuesday. Now the question becomes who will be entrusted with the job of filling in for Robbo.

It is a question not often asked this season, with Liverpool having only played three matches all season without Andy at left-back. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the beginning of January, and the 2–1 defeat away to Wolves in the FA Cup, to find the last game Robbo didn’t start for the Reds. Though it might not be as big a miss as Van Dijk was against Bayern, the ever-presence of Robbo in the 11 speaks to his value in this side and to the fact that he is clearly the best left-back in the team. So, who will be handed the task?

At the present moment there are only 2 real contenders for taking over Robbo’s spot. The first, and probably most obvious, is Alberto Moreno. Though Moreno might be a name that gives more than a few Liverpool supporters flashbacks to the our defense of old, he is currently the only proper, senior left-back in Liverpool’s squad. His defensive abilities might leave much to be desired, but given that Liverpool might expect to dominate the first leg at home, they might not be needed.

Moreno is more than capable going forward and providing similar service to that of Robbo from the left wing. He also has the pace to get up and down the line and to get back when caught up the pitch. This could be a chance for Alberto Moreno to add his name to the list of “players you forgot were decent” next to Matip, Lallana, and Divock Origi.

The second choice available to Klopp is to use Liverpool’s utility man James Milner. Milner famously played left-back for most of the 16/17 campaign, so he should be familiar with the requirements of the position in Jurgen Klopp’s system. Though he doesn’t have the pace to get up and down the pitch, he is much better than Moreno in providing link up play and creating chances in and around the opposition’s box. Plus, James Milner is the assist king of the Champions League and has all the experience of playing in big matches.

It will be interesting to see which option Klopp chooses to deploy. Playing Milner from the start at left-back could limit his ability to make an impact later in the game like he did against Southampton. Klopp might not fancy using Moreno who has only seen the pitch three times this season and is certain to leave at the end of his contract this summer. Regardless, whoever fills in for Robbo will have a big job to do in providing the same intensity as the Scotsman.

Porto’s Revenge

Porto will want to make up for their 5–0 loss last season to Liverpool

The Red’s journey to Kiev last season featured a round of 16 tie against Tuesday’s nights opposition. If you had forgotten, Liverpool essentially finished the tie off in the first leg by beating Porto 5–0 at their own ground. Essentially, Liverpool ended Porto’s Champions League dream before it even got going. There will surely be thoughts of revenge on the minds of all those at the Portuguese club.

Though Porto were undoubtedly one of the “preferred” opponents when the draw for the quarterfinals took place, they will be a much tougher task than they were last season. They managed to come through the group stage with 5 wins and 1 draw before they turned around a 2–1 deficit against Roma in the round of 16. Though it took extra-time and a dubious VAR decision, Porto showed the type of grit and determination that any side needs to go far in the Champions League. Add in that added element of revenge, and we should expect a tough European tie.

Porto may not be considered one of the European giants, but they are consistent performers and a club with a proud history. They famously won the Champions League in 2004, their second title, against all odds and will undoubtedly take that spirit with them. Plus, they boast within their squad plenty of world class talent with the likes of Hector Herrera, Iker Casillas, Pepe, and, the soon to be Real Madrid player, Eder Militao. Whilst the temptation may be to think of a possible semi-final ahead, Porto should not be underestimated.

Porto will have felt embarrassed with the way last year’s round of 16 tie went against Liverpool. Though they won’t be thrilled with the prospect of taking on one of Europe’s best sides, they will see it as a chance to put things right and show the world that last years drubbing at the hands of Liverpool was out of character. The Reds must make sure they get very little opportunity to enact their revenge.

One and Done

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his team can wrap the tie up in one leg to afford him some wiggle room

After spending a few paragraphs hyping up this Porto side and guarding against expectations of playing Porto off the park, I’d like to now discuss the merits of this Liverpool side effectively winning this tie in the first leg. Though I do expect Porto to put on a much better performance than they did last year and I don’t necessarily think we should be expecting this Liverpool side to slaughter their opposition on Tuesday, the Reds have all the ability to do just that.

Whilst winning the first legs and getting through to a semi-final is all you can really ask for from Jurgen Klopp and the lads, putting the tie out of reach after the first leg would be a massive boost to all of the Reds’ ambitions this season. With the title race coming down to the bitter end, any advantage Liverpool can afford themselves will be a massive help. Not having an extra-pressurized second leg to worry about, in the midst of an already pressure filled title challenge, will only be a benefit to Jurgen and the lads.

Plus, given the minimal room for error in the league, having the ability to rotate in players for the second leg could help in getting all the members of the squad up to form for the final month of the season. If the Reds managed to wrap the tie up after the first leg, it could mean an opportunity to work the likes of Gomez, Ox, Shaq, Lovren, and Lallana into form and get their match fitness up. With each and every league match being a must win it might be hard for those on the fringes and coming back from injury to get a game, so having the second leg available as a “free hit” could be the opportunity to do so.

It was at this point last season that Liverpool welcomed Manchester City to Anfield and swiftly knocked them off their feet with a resounding 3–0 win. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibilities for this Liverpool side to come out and do the same against Porto.

Predictions

We are back to the European table for this one. Last time out, I managed to pick up 2 points for predicting a Liverpool win with 3 goals, whilst David didn’t manage to get any. This means I now lead by a score of 9–6.

This is another match where it will be interesting to see what our opponents do. Our last opponents Bayern chose to come out and park the bus in their first leg at Anfield, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Porto tried something similar. The only problem for Porto is that they’re not as defensively stout as Bayern and probably don’t fancy themselves to keep a clean sheet. So, whilst I don’t expect them to come flying out the gates at us, I also do not expect Porto to simply sit in for the 90 minutes.

As for us, I think we stick with the 4–3–3 that has firmly re-established itself as our preferred formation. I expect Klopp will throw Alberto Moreno out there in place of Robbo as he has the pace to cope with Porto and we will be on the front foot for most of the match. Though Klopp has often opted for the Gini-Milner-Henderson midfield in the Champions League, I think he opts for a Gini-Fab-Henderson trio this time around. This will see Henderson returning to the box-to-box role he played so well in his early days at Liverpool. The rest of the 11 is unchanged from Friday.

Though I think this Porto team is better than the one we faced last season, and I think they will want to prove a point, I don’t think they really have what it takes to stop this Liverpool side full of confidence. I expect it to go like the home first legs of last season’s quarter and semifinals. The Reds and Anfield overwhelm our Portuguese visitors and it all feels like deja-vu. 4–0.

David’s Prediction: I agree with Jordan’s assessment of the back line, however, if Milner doesn’t play at fullback, I see him in the starting 11 in place of Gini, who appears exhausted and in need of having his minutes managed. The work rate of that midfield essentially cancels out all of Porto’s efforts and the Reds dominate as a result. I was thinking the same as Jordan, however, I’ve got to make up points so I can’t pick the same score. The Reds have shown a tendency toward being a bit more reserved at times this season and will look to ensure they finish this one without conceding an away goal. No shortage of opportunities early, but late on the clock is run out on a 3–0 victory.