Background: Dynamo return with Porto test

FC Dynamo Kyiv are back in the UEFA Champions League group stage after an absence of two seasons and will be looking to claim the points against an FC Porto side who have not lost in Ukraine on all six previous trips.

Previous meetings
• The teams have met on six occasions, all in the European Cup, and have faced off twice in the group stage in recent years. They each won away in 2008/09, before Porto prevailed 3-2 at home and drew 0-0 away in 2012/13.

• The lineups in Kyiv on 6 November 2012 were:
Dynamo: Koval, Betão, Mikhalik, Khacheridi, Taiwo, Yarmolenko, Vukojević (Kranjčar 88), Miguel Veloso, Gusev, Marco Ruben (Ideye 67), Milevskiy (Haruna 58).
Porto: Helton, Danilo, Ba, Otamendi, Mangala, Defour (André Castro 79), João Moutinho, Lucho González, James Rodríguez (Kléber 90+1), Jackson Martínez, Varela (Atsu 76).

• Silvestre Varela scored in the 3-2 win while Helton also remains in Porto's squad and Yevhen Khacheridi is still at Dynamo.

• That 0-0 draw was Kyiv's best result at home against Porto, the other two contests in Ukraine both ending in 2-1 away victories, including the 1986/87 semi-final which was perhaps the teams' most significant tie. Porto won both legs 2-1 en route to claiming the trophy for the first time.

Match background

Dynamo
• The Ukrainian double winners are embarking on their 15th group stage campaign while Serhiy Rebrov experiences the tournament for the first time as coach. In 2012/13 they finished third in Group A, eight points behind runners-up Porto.

• Dynamo began that competition with a 4-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain and took four points from their three home matches.

• In 2009/10, when they finished bottom of the group, Dynamo won one and lost two of their home games and have tasted success only three times in their last 15 group home fixtures. Home and away their record is four wins in their last 31 group stage games.

• They have played 16 games against Portuguese sides with the record W5 D3 L8 (W3 D2 L3 in Ukraine).

Porto
• Porto are in their 20th group stage campaign and hope to improve on last season's run to the quarter-finals where they lost 7-4 on aggregate to FC Bayern München, suffering a 6-1 second leg loss in Germany.

• Before that game Julen Lopetegui's men had been unbeaten on the road in the competition, play-offs included, winning three of their five fixtures. They have only lost three of their last 12 away European games (winning four), including play-offs. 

• Porto began last term with a 6-0 defeat of FC BATE Borisov, their fourth successive matchday one victory - the last three coming without the concession of a goal.

• Their fixtures included a visit to Ukraine, drawing 2-2 at FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage before a 1-1 draw at home.

• In the 2011/12 group stage Porto won 2-0 in Donetsk and 2-1 at home and on each occasion Olexandr Rybka was in goal for the Ukrainian side.

• Their record in 12 games against Ukrainian sides is W7 D4 L1 (W3 D3 L0 away).

Coach and player links
• Antunes twice faced Porto in 2006/07 while with FC Paços de Ferreira and scored against Helton in a 1-1 draw.

• Miguel Veloso played against Porto on ten occasions while with Sporting Clube de Portugal, scoring against Helton in a 3-0 win in 2009/10.

• Have played together:
Veloso and Varela (Portugal) 

Match facts

Dynamo
• Dynamo have won seven of their nine matches in all competitions this season.

• Rebrov's side have conceded just one goal in their last seven games.

• Aleksandar Dragovic helped Austria to a 1-0 home win against Moldova on 5 September and a 4-1 victory in Sweden three days later that rubber-stamped qualification for UEFA EURO 2016.

• Andriy Yarmolenko marked his 50th appearance for Ukraine with a goal, his 20th at international level, as Mykhailo Fomenko's team defeated Belarus 3-1 on 5 September.

• Łukasz Teodorczyk has recently returned to training after recovering from a broken fibula.

Porto
• Coach Julen Lopetegui serves a touchline ban on matchday one, when Iván Marcano is also suspended.

• Vincent Aboubakar has scored four goals in as many Liga outings this term.

• Porto ran out 3-1 winners against second-tier FC Penafiel in a friendly during the international break.

• Bruno Martins Indi was sent off in the Netherlands' 1-0 home loss to Iceland in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 3 September.

• Iker Casillas kept a clean sheet on his 100th appearance as Spain captain, a 2-0 victory over Slovakia on 5 September.

• Héctor Herrera scored his first goal for Mexico in a 3-3 friendly draw with Trinidad & Tobago on 4 September and struck again in the Greens' subsequent 2-2 draw with Argentina.

• André Silva registered a hat-trick on his Under-21 debut as Portugal started their qualifying campaign for the 2017 European finals with a 6-1 triumph in Albania.