Background: Porto v LOSC
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Article summary
UEFA Champions League winners when the final was staged in Germany in 2004, FC Porto must overcome LOSC Lille if they are to make it to this season's group stage.
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FC Porto won the UEFA Champions League by beating French opponents the last time the final was staged in Germany; an encouraging sign as they take on LOSC Lille in their play-off decider.
Previous meetings
• The teams had not met prior to Porto's 1-0 triumph over their Ligue 1 opponents in the first leg in France.
Form guide
• Porto's 26 games against French opponents have ended W13 D7 L6 (W9 D2 L1 at home – W3 D5 L5 in France). Most notably, José Mourinho's side beat AS Monaco FC 3-0 in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League final.
• LOSC's record in seven games against Portuguese opponents is W1 D2 L4 (W0 D2 L2 at home – W1 D0 L2 in Portugal). They are without a win in their five most recent fixtures against Liga opponents (D1 L4).
• LOSC have yet to lose a two-legged tie in qualifying for a UEFA club competition – three wins in UEFA Champions League qualifying and three in qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
• Porto have featured in the UEFA Champions League group stage 18 times; LOSC have done so five times.
Links and trivia
• LOSC boast Portuguese talent in the form of on-loan Manchester City FC forward Marcos Lopes. The Brazilian-born teenager played alongside Porto's Rafa, Francisco Ramos, Tomás Podstawski, André Silva and Ivo Rodrigues at the recent UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Hungary.
• Should they reach the group stage, Porto's matchday one fixture would be their 200th in Europe's top club competition.
• LOSC forward Ryan Mendes – who was born in Cape Verde – came out as a Porto fan after the play-off draw, saying: "This is the first time I will not be cheering for FC Porto. I admit, they are the club I have supported since I was a child."
• Porto's Parisian-born Algeria attacking midfielder Yacine Brahimi played in Ligue 1 with Stade Rennais FC.
• LOSC's Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama played faced Porto's Mexican duo, Héctor Herrera and Diego Reyes, in a 0-0 friendly draw in early March.