Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Club Brugge will be aiming to cement top position in Group B when they host Porto to their Jan Breydel Stadion on Wednesday evening. Club Brugge head into the match following the Jupiler League derby draw with Royale Union SG, and they are eager to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches. Since the Belgian champions have already booked their spot in the Champions League last 16, they should be happy with one point from the match.
Important midfielder Kamal Sowah serves a one-game ban, while all Cyle Larin, Clinton Mata, and Mats Rits remain on the sidelines with injuries. The Dragons, on the other hand, are eyeing their third consecutive win in Group B, but beating Club Brugge on the road is easier said than done. Taking everything into account, we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. Both Joao Mario and Pepe are sidelined with injuries for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Simon Mignolet):
Simon Luc Hildebert Mignolet is a Belgium goalkeeper born on 6 March 1988 in Sint-Truiden. He began his career in a club from his hometown, making 100 league appearances for Sint-Truidense before moving to Sunderland in 2010.
Mignolet would go on to spent next four years at the Stadium of Light, making 90 Premier League appearances. As one of world’s most talented goalkeepers, the Belgium international signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2013, and he has since been the club’s first choice goalkeeper. Performing admirably most of the time, but also committing cheap mistakes at times, Mignolet has yet to win over the Liverpool fans, but remains highly regarded in his native country.
The talented shot-stopper has been a member of the Belgium national team since 2011, earning over 20 caps for the Red Devils, but he has been playing second fiddle to Chelsea star Thibaut Courtois over the last few years.
Highlighted Team (Porto):
Futebol Clube do Porto are one of Portugal’s biggest football clubs playing their matches in front of 50,000 people at their Estadio do Dragao. Porto form biggest rivalries with two other Big Three clubs in Portugal and regular league title contenders – Benfica and Sporting CP. Rivalries between the clubs stem from the historical, political, economical and cultural discrepancies between the cities of Porto and Lisbon. The Dragons, as they are commonly known in Portugal, are the second most successful Portuguese team with a total of 74 trophies to their name.
Porto hold a record of five consecutive league titles which are part of the total tally of 27 Primeira Liga trophies. FC Porto’s success extends to the international scene as well with seven European titles. Two-time European champions from 1987 and 2004, Porto also won two UEFA Cup/Europa League titles, the UEFA Super Cup and the International Cup on two occasions. Together with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United, Porto have the most appearances in the UEFA Champions League group stage – the total of 20.