Porto vs Atletico live on December 7, 2021: Portuguese and Spanish giants face off in do-or-die clash

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Desember 7, 2021 Oleh Ali M.

Topik: TV Schedules, Porto, Atletico Madrid, UEFA Champions League

Both teams are fighting for a spot in the round of 16, with Simeone's men in particular needing a victory in order to avoid crashing out of Europe.

Preview

The sixth and final round of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage is here , with many teams facing a do-or-die situation. This is the unfortunate scenario Atletico Madrid find themselves in, with the Spanish giants taking on Portuguese heavyweights Porto in the final round needing two results to go their way in order to make the last 16.

Simeone's men, who were also grouped up with Liverpool and AC Milan, were not expected to win their group as Klopp's side were the favorites to top the table. However, no one predicted Los Rojiblancos would be dead bottom in the standings after five rounds.

However, that is what has unfolded. Joao Felix and Co. have racked up only four points, which is level with third-placed AC Milan, but trail the iconic Italian club on goal difference. Meanwhile, Liverpool sit 11 points ahead, having officially won the group, while Porto are only a point ahead in second.

This means should the Spanish defending champions beat the Dragons, then they would leapfrog the Primeira Liga side. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that as Atletico will have to keep one eye on AC Milan as well as their San Siro showdown with the Merseyside giants could also determine who qualifies for the knockout stage.

Not only do Atletico need to beat Porto on the final day, which is easier said than done, but the Spaniards will also be praying for a slip-up from the Rossoneri as a victory over Liverpool would see Ibrahimovic and Co. move on to the next round. The fact that the Spanish top-flight side enter this clash on the back of their 2-1 weekend defeat against Mallorca makes things trickier. Furthermore, their last Champions League outing also ended in a loss, with Simeone's men going 1-0 at home to AC Milan, hence why they are in this difficult situation.

Porto, on the other hand, can afford a draw as that would still secure them qualification should AC Milan fail to triumph over Liverpool. Given the form of Mohamed Salah and Co, this is a reasonable assumption; however, the Portuguese giants cannot afford to leave their future to fate and must do everything to triumph on Tuesday.

The Dragons have been nothing short of excellent in the Portuguese top-flight, with Sérgio Conceição's side boasting an eight-match winning streak. Their most recent victory came on Friday, with the league leaders beating Portimonense 3-0.

However, in Europe, Luis Diaz and Co. have only managed to score three goals, two of which came in the home and away encounters with AC Milan. Porto failed to find the back of the net in their earlier encounter with Atletico, which is a concern, but this should not stop the home side from going all out in their final group stage fixture.

Team news

Porto: Mateus Uribe is suspended for this tie. Meanwhile, Pepe remains a doubt due to a muscular issue, which is a worry for the home side. Ivan Marcano and Joao Mario are ruled out.

Atletico: Felipe is suspended due to his red card in the defeat against Liverpool. Savic, meanwhile, picked up an injury in the weekend loss to Mallorca. With Joe Gimenez also being a doubt, Simeone might be forced to pair Geoffrey Kondogbia and Mario Hermoso for the center-back position.

Key stats

This will be the 10th encounter between these two clubs.
Atletico boast the superior head-to-head record, albeit by a slight margin, winning three times to Porto's two victories.
Simeone's men have failed to score in five of their last seven UCL ties.
While a draw could suffice, the Dragons will be guaranteed a spot in the last 16 if they beat Atletico.