Barcelona and Porto are both coming off victories in their opening Champions League games, so one of them might gain an advantage in this matchup and end up winning the group. Even though these are the undisputed best clubs in Group H, margins for error are razor-thin in Champions League play, so nothing should be taken for granted.
Here are our storylines, information on how to watch the game, and more:
How to watch and odds
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 4 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Estadio do Dragao — Porto, Portugal
Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Porto +320; Draw +275; Barcelona -125
Storylines
Galeno and Mehdi Taremi led Porto in the opening round of Champions League play, but the Portuguese team also needs to bounce back after losing to Benfica over the weekend. Porto will have support playing in front of their home crowd in a match they hope to turn into a defensive one. Although this team wouldn’t be able to compete with Barcelona in a track meet, by playing the game according to their rules, a win is still possible. Additionally, Porto plays in close games frequently, boosting their case for the Champions League.
Barcelona: The Joaos will once again be the focus of interest. Barcelona performs best when Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo are on their game, but when they are not, the squad needs things like a Sergio Ramos own goal to win a game, as we saw this past weekend against Sevilla. They’ll probably need to be even more creative without Raphinha in the game.
Prediction
In a close game, Joao Felix will once more perform at his best, helping Barcelona to victory. Pick: Barcelona 1, Porto 0
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