Porto carry a 2-1 advantage into the second leg of their UEFA Europa League clash with Lazio, as both side aims to book their place in the last 16 on Thursday.
Following a hard-fought clash in Portugal last week, Rome’s Stadio Olimpico is the venue for the second leg.
𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐚 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐚 🔛💪 Vamos com tudo, Dragões 🐉#FCPorto #SSLFCP #UEL pic.twitter.com/0cdwEBRfcO— FC Porto (@FCPorto) February 21, 2022
𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐚 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐚 🔛💪 Vamos com tudo, Dragões 🐉#FCPorto #SSLFCP #UEL pic.twitter.com/0cdwEBRfcO
Lazio took the lead in the first leg thanks to Mattia Zaccagni’s first-half striker. However, a brace from Toni Martinez saw Porto come out on top.
It is worth pointing out that Lazio enjoyed 56% possession last week, although they only managed to register two attempts on target.
By contrast, Porto racked up a whopping 21 shots – five of which were on target. It remains to be seen whether the Dragons can replicate those kinds of numbers away from home.
Lazio were held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese in Serie A on Sunday. That means they have won just one of their previous four matches across all competitions.
As it stands, the Eagles find themselves sixth in the Serie A table – four points outside the top four and 13 points behind first-place AC Milan.
It is worth remembering that Lazio only managed to win two of their six group games earlier in the campaign, recording three draws and one loss.
On the flip side, Porto dropped down into the Europa League after getting knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage.
The Portuguese side won just one of their six group games, registering two draws and three losses along the way.
However, it is worth noting that Porto are unbeaten in Primeira Liga this season – having picked up 20 wins and three draws from their 23 domestic encounters.
Head-to-head: As we know, Porto beat Lazio 2-1 last week. That means Lazio have yet to claim a competitive victory over Porto.
Across four meetings since 2003, Porto have beaten Lazio on three occasions. The other encounters ended in a draw.
Team news: There are question marks over the fitness of Lazio quartet Manuel Lazzari, Ciro Immobile, Pedro and Patryk Dziczek.
As for Porto, they remain without long-term injury absentees Wilson Manafa (patella rupture) and Fernando Andrade (cruciate ligament rupture).
Lazio must score at least one goal in order to stay in the competition. With that in mind, the hosts are expected to push for the victory.
Forebet predicts that Lazio will keep a clean sheet on their way to sealing a low-scoring win. Extra-time and/or penalties may be required to determine the outcome.