FC Porto

On Wednesday, Bayern Munich make the trip to Portugal, where they will face Porto in the first of two legs to see which of these clubs will advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. 

Pep Guardiola's side are one of the heavy favourites for this year's competition and as such will be expected to travel to the Estadio do Dragao and put on a show.

Yet it may not be that easy. 

Julen Lopetegui's side have remained undefeated against the premier European competition this season, beating sides such as Shakhtar Donetsk and Athletic Bilbao en route to facing the former European champions on Wednesday. 

A tight, enticing fight is on our hands as these two European heavyweights go head-to-head. 

Date: Wednesday, April 15

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. EST

Venue: Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal

Television: Sky Sports (UK only), Fox Sports (U.S. only)

Streaming: Sky Go (UK only), Fox Sports online (U.S. only)

Form

Expected Lineups

The home side will most likely still be without Jackson Martinez and Adrian Lopez, despite their return to light training. Similarly, Cristian Tello is expected to remain out with a hamstring injury and will miss the game, as well as Ivan Marcano, who will miss Wednesday's game through suspension. 

This should mean Fabiano in goal behind a back four of Danilo, Martins Indi, Maicon and Alex Sandro. Casemiro will keep his spot at the heart of midfield, with Hector Herrera and Oliver Torres playing in front of him. Yacine Brahimi will most likely play on the left, with Ricardo Queresma on the right and Vincent Aboubakar up front as the lone striker. 

Bayern share similar woes with individuals missing, as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery were both left in Germany with the flu and an ankle injury, respectively. Javi Martinez, Arjen Robben and David Alaba continue to sit out through injury, but Philipp Lahm, Thiago Alcantara and Jerome Boateng should return to the side for the big clash. 

Key Players 

Robert Lewandowski

Although the Polish international may not have enjoyed the most fruitful start to life in Munich, Robert Lewandowski is undoubtedly back to his best and among the goals for Bayern from one week to the next. 

The forward has no less than 20 goals in 34 games for his club this season, with three from just six games in the Champions League.

Yacine Brahimi

From the left side of attack or indeed through the middle, the 25-year-old forward has proved himself to be one of Porto's most exceptional forward talents in the Champions League this season. 

The Algerian international has amassed an incredible five goals and three assists in just seven Champions League games and will undoubtedly fancy his chances against Rafinha at right-back. 

Odds(Per Odds Shark)

Bayern Munich: -130
Draw: +375
Porto: +260

"Oh for a midfielder like Casemiro..."

You could almost hear Real Madrid pleading for the loaned-out Brazilian as they were shredded by Schalke on Tuesday. What they wouldn't have given for a swashbuckling, all-action presence in the centre of the park as they slumped to a second successive defeat.

In Porto, meanwhile, their 23-year-old capture from 2013 was turning heads with yet another standout performance for the Portuguese giants.

He scored a sumptuous free-kick from more than 30 yards out and, according to WhoScored, successfully executed six tackles and made six interceptions in a man-of-the-match display against Basel, which his side won 4-0.

It was the sort of showing Madrid no doubt hoped Casemiro would exhibit with some regularity when they sent him to Estadio do Dragao on a temporary deal. Having paid just €6 million to acquire him from Sao Paulo, they had used him primarily in the B setup before handing him 12 La Liga appearances in the first team last season.

He didn't particularly stand out in any of them, and given that his career had seemed to stall in Brazil, they might not have been that surprised. His Madrid arrival, which, in itself, was rather unexpected, was always going to be an experiment—a long-shot—and the Porto loan was set up to be a sort of secondary phase to the test.

It has come off magnificently.

Leaner, quicker and infinitely more confident, Casemiro has thrived in a pivotal role for manager Julen Lopetegui, who has the Dragons into the last eight of the Champions League and snapping at Benfica's heels domestically. They'll also contest a Taca da Liga semi-final next month at Maritimo and go into Sunday's match against Arouca having outscored their opponents in league play 14-6 since the end of January.

Casemiro has been integral to the run of success, which is why Everton have been tracking him through the winter, as reported by the Mirror.

Casemiro another perfect midfield tackle. #FCPorto

— Portista (@FCPortoWorld) March 10, 2015

Incidentally, Arsenal were also linked to him last spring by the Mirror, (h/t Inside Spanish Football), and with his stock having risen astronomically since then it's more than likely they'll renew their interest ahead of the summer transfer window, especially with their own issues—mostly injury-related—in the centre of the park.

Madrid, however, will no doubt be loath to let him go.

.@Casemiro_92: MotM vs Basel, Rating 9.87, Shots(OT) 3(1), Goals 1, Tackles 8, Interceptions 6, Dribbles 1 @FCPorto pic.twitter.com/h8OQWcyDKc

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) March 10, 2015

As their performances become more and more erratic, the need for a tough-tackling, up-tempo, trouble-making presence in midfield becomes increasingly stark.

And Casemiro, around whom so many questions lingered in his final days at Sao Paulo and early ones at Real Madrid, has suddenly positioned himself to be the answer—and an emphatic one at that.

Follow @jerradpeters

Porto captain Danilo was stretchered off the pitch in Tuesday's Champions League round-of-16 clash against Basel after being knocked unconscious following a clash of heads with team-mate Fabiano.

It's since been reported by Metro's Jan Hagen that Danilo has shown some encouraging signs since being taken to hospital immediately following the incident, and manager Julen Lopetegui offered some positive news:

Planeta Futbol showed footage of the collision, in which goalkeeper Fabiano accidentally head-butts the chin of his colleague while attempting to clear the ball:  

BRUTAL choque entre Fabiano y Danilo, ambos del #Porto. El defensor fue retirado directo al hospital. https://t.co/Ou93M09PYI

— Planeta Fútbol (@PlanetaFutbolLP) March 10, 2015

Danilo's absence will be a big disadvantage for Porto as they advance in European competition, placing a burden on the likes of Alex Sandro and Bruno Martins Indi to fill in on the flanks during his absence.

Cristian Tello will receive the opportunity to prove himself away from Barcelona after the Spanish winger agreed a loan move to Porto for the next two seasons, noted by the Blaugrana's official Twitter account.

A brief statement confirming the deal was also posted on the FCB website, where it is confirmed Porto will receive the option to permanently buy Tello at the conclusion of the 2016-17 campaign. Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC translated the post:     

The 22-year-old marks Porto's second signing in 24 hours, after Julen Lopetegui confirmed a deal for Feyenoord centre-back Bruno Martins Indi, per Charlie Scott of the Daily Mail.

Tello heads to Portugal needing to prove himself after a disappointing season—and indeed, early career—with Barcelona. The tricky winger made just two starts and 20 substitute appearances in La Liga during the 2013-14 campaign, scoring two goals, per WhoScored.com. He also failed to make a Champions League start and is finally deemed surplus to immediate requirements ahead of Luis Enrique's first season in charge.

Similar to Alexis Sanchez—who recently joined Arsenal, per David Ornstein of BBC Sport—Tello's switch may be linked to the arrival of Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan striker is expected to star alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar when his four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini concludes, providing Tello with a seemingly impossible route into the first-team when you consider Pedro remains on Barca's books.

Porto is an excellent place for the youngster to develop his game, offering Tello competitive football across both Liga Sagres and Europe.

Portuguese giants Porto have bolstered their attack this summer, adding former Atletico Madrid attacking midfielder Adrian Lopez to the fold. 

The team tweeted out a picture of Lopez joining his new teammates as they traveled to the Netherlands:

Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football has more:

Adrian had been rumoured to be one of the players due to leave the club after failing to reach the same level for the past two years as he showed in his breakout 2011-12 season.

Adrian has sought out more minutes and with massive changes to the squad coming on the horizon, Adrian will leave the club, despite being a favourite of manager, Diego Simeone.

After receiving several offers, the [Mundo Deportivo] report goes on to add that Porto’s was the most appealing and the 26-year-old jumped at the opportunity.

Lopez fell out of favor with Atletico this past year, starting just four La Liga games for the club (though he did appear 18 times as a substitute). He scored a single goal and added three assists in those appearances, earning a disappointing 6.41 average match rating from WhoScored.com.

He was utilized more frequently in the Champions League, however, making nine appearances (six starts), scoring two goals and adding an assist. 

Lopez had a bigger impact in the two seasons prior for Atletico in La Liga play, making a total of 68 appearances in that time (42 starts), scoring 10 goals and contributing three assists. 

Andy Brassell of Bleacher Report notes the fee seems a touch steep for Lopez

Lopez now marks the third attacker Atletico have lost this summer, as Diego Costa joined Chelsea and David Villa signed with new MLS club New York City FC. They did add former Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic, however, so the cupboard is far from dry.

Lopez will be expected to help Porto recover from a disappointing 2013-14 season that saw them finish third on the Portuguese Liga table, a shocking 13 points behind their rivals, Benfica. And with more playing time, he'll also be able to replicate the success he had with Atletico in the 2011-12 season. 

A change of scenery might be just what the talented 26-year-old needs. Porto are certainly banking on it. 

The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw has thrown out an Iberian clash which could yet yield one of the surprise contenders for the tournament, with FC Porto up against Malaga.

The Spanish side qualified top of their Group Stage unbeaten, with four points between themselves and AC Milan. Porto ended second in Group A, winning all of their home games and ending in second place behind PSG.

As a result, Porto will play the first leg at home and striker Jackson Martinez will play a key part if the Liga Sagres leaders are to progress into the quarterfinals. The biggest threat from Porto will come from their Colombian striker, who is the top scorer of the entire Portuguese top flight this season—with 18 goals in just 17 games.

Porto are unbeaten in their domestic league this term, having won 15 of their 19 games, with a strong attack and an equally solid defence making up their strength in the team.

An average of almost 2.5 goals per game in league play this season makes Porto's attack a formidable one, with Jackson Martinez the centrepiece, ably assisted by James Rodriguez and Silvestre Varela from the flanks.

Amongst the three of them, they have managed 29 goals and 11 assists in the league, and a further six goals and one assist in the Champions League this season. Martinez alone has notched half of those Champions League goals.

A formidable attack, then, but they will be coming up against the best defence in Spain.

Malaga have conceded only 21 goals in league play this season; less than Real and Atletico Madrid, and six fewer than league leaders, Barcelona.

Especially away from home, Malaga remain compact and difficult to break down; a contrast to their more expansive and attack-minded play in their own stadium. Testament to that fact are the statistics in La Liga: Malaga have conceded only seven times in 11 matches outside La Rosaleda stadium.

Martinez displays a knack for goalscoring, borne of his tremendous shooting ability and off the ball movement; he is not a striker who will continually run at defenders with the ball at his feet, nor one who purely utilises pace or power alone.

Instead, he combines an instinctive ability to find good positions in the box with the knack of hitting shots with any part of his body, to allow himself the best chance of beating the goalkeeper—including using either foot, or his head.

He is agile, shows good acceleration and has no shortage of skill, all assets which help him, at times, make a mockery of some of the finest defenders on the continent, and beyond.

Martinez will come up against Martin Demichelis and Weligton in the Malaga defence in the two-legged tie in the Champions League.

He has already bested the likes of PSG's Thiago Silva in the Champions League this season; if Porto are to keep alive their dream of emulating the class of 2004 then he will have to best another pair of South American defenders in the Round of 16, most importantly in the first leg, at home on Tuesday.

Follow @karlmatchett

Statistics from WhoScored.com and TransferMarkt.co.uk

FC Porto signed left-wing-back Alex Sandro on July 23, 2011 for a handsome fee of €9.6 million (via fcporto.pt).

When you think of the Dragoes' defensive personnel, you think of the suspect Rolando, the other Maicon and the veteran goalkeeper Helton.

Sandro, a product of the Atletico Paranaense academy and former Santos loanee, is the unheralded force in the Portistas' great season to date.

While his rapid progress has reached a temporary halt due to the recurrence of an injury (via ESPN), he is Vitor Pereira's No. 1 choice when fit.

Strengths

The first thing of note when watching Sandro play is his physical presence. As he grew he looked a little lanky despite standing at under 6'0" in height all his life, but since leaving Santos he's added bulk and strength without sacrificing speed.

He already has elite instincts as a full-back and knows when to stay on his feet and when to go to ground—a decision process many young full-backs get horribly wrong early in their career.

Tackling properly is an art, and Sandro is close to mastering it, as he rarely gets caught "square on" by an attacker and is rarely seen dropping off due to any reluctance to make a challenge.

Going forward, he can commit defenders and attract double coverage from the opposition. He's traditional in his methods, preferring to hit the byline for a cross rather than dance around and risk losing possession.

Weakness

While his streaking last-man challenges are impressive on the eye, Sandro's ability to sense when to go forward and when not to needs refinement.

He makes those challenges because he has to, but seasoned defenders rarely find themselves in that position. It will come with time, and there's also an argument to suggest he works a double shift at times due to James Rodriguez's exclusively attacking thought process.

Follow @stighefootball