Shakhtar Donetsk vs Porto Prediction: Porto can show their class in Hamburg

FC Porto eased into the knockout stages of last season’s Champions League and will be hoping to repeat the feat in Group H this term.

The Primeira Liga club begin their campaign against Shakhtar Donetsk in Hamburg on Tuesday and they could lay down a marker early in their section.

Team News

Mykola Matvienko, Valeriy Bondar and Lassina Traore are expected to miss out for Shakhtar Donetsk through injury.

Porto also have a handful of absentees with Ivan Marcano, Marko Grujic, Francisco Conceicao, Evanilson and Gabriel Veron all sidelined.

FC Porto to win and both teams to score @ 11/5

FC Porto defied expectations in the group stage of last season’s Champions League, coming out on top of a competitive section.

The Dragons finished above Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid to reach the last 16, winning four matches on the spin after defeats in their opening two assignments.

And even in the knockout stage, they were competitive, keeping it tight against Inter Milan and losing just 1-0 across both legs.

This season they are joined in their group by Shakhtar, Barcelona and Antwerp and they can start on the front foot in Hamburg.

Knowing Barcelona are favourites to top the group and debutants Antwerp could be out of their depth, Porto will be well aware they could be battling it out with Shakhtar for second spot and they will not rest on their laurels.

The Ukrainians continue to excel domestically but they have exited in the Champions League group stage in each of the last five seasons.

That said, Shakhtar will know this is the kind of game they cannot afford to lose so will play on the front foot and can at least breach a Porto defence that has conceded in four of its last five matches.

Mehdi Taremi to score at anytime @ 7/5

Key to Porto’s run to the last 16 of the Champions League last season was the goalscoring form of Mehdi Taremi, who looks a solid bet to score on Tuesday.

Only five players scored more goals in last season’s Champions League than Taremi (five) and with fellow forward Evanilson unavailable, the Iranian striker can be expected to lead the line from the start in Hamburg.

Taremi was on target only last Friday against Estrela Amadora in the Primeira Liga and can find a way past a Donetsk defence which leaked 10 goals in six matches in the Champions League last term.