Liverpool wary of Porto poser

Twice in the last three years, Liverpool FC have made it all the way to the UEFA Champions League final and in between came a season when their hopes were crushed by Portuguese opposition in the shape of SL Benfica. As they set out on another long road, Rafael Benítez's men will be hoping that there are no slip-ups as they return to that country to take on FC Porto.

• Porto will be boosted by the fact that they have never lost at home to English opponents in nine fixtures, a proud record considering that in the last seven years they’ve met all the 'big four' – Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC as well as Liverpool. Four of the games have ended 0-0.

• In their 13th campaign Jesualdo Ferreira’s team will be looking to kick off with a win for the first time in five attempts. Porto have drawn three of their first games in the last four editions including last season when PFC CSKA Moskva came away from the Estádio do Dragão with a 0-0 draw.

• It did not stop them finishing second in their group behind Arsenal but in the first knockout round they succumbed to another English side, Chelsea, and José Mourinho, the coach who inspired their second UEFA Champions League title triumph in 2004. Porto went down 3-2 on aggregate despite taking the lead in both games through Raul Meireles and Ricardo Quaresma.

• In the 2005/06 first knockout round, Liverpool lost home and away against Benfica. It meant that the five–time European champions have not beaten any Portuguese opposition in UEFA club competition in four attempts – their two previous outings ending in 1-1 draws, home and away against Boavista FC in the 2001/02 first group stage.

• The Merseyside club had more luck when they last faced Porto in the quarter-finals of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup, the season that saw them win that competition for the third time. After a 0-0 draw away they triumphed 2-0 triumph in front of their own supporters.

• In fact in the era when they were dominating continental football, Liverpool regularly overcame opponents from Portugal - and specifically Benfica - on their way to the grand stage. They posted five successive wins against the two-time European kings, the first four coming at the quarter-final stage which enabled Liverpool to stride on and lift the UEFA European Champions' Club Cup in both 1977/78 and 1983/84.

• In 1984/85 the teams were drawn out of the hat together again, this time in the second round with Benfica claiming their one and only victory against the Merseyside club in six attempts. However, Liverpool's 3-1 win in the first game meant that Benfica's 1-0 win in the return was not enough. In the final Juventus came out on top by a single goal.

• As they begin their sixth campaign in the last seven seasons, in a group that also contains Olympique de Marseille and Beşiktaş JK, Liverpool will be looking to maintain their robust away form in the competition. They lost the last time they played at their opponent's ground when Chelsea FC won by a single goal at Stamford Bridge in last season's semi-final first leg but that was only their third defeat in 17 away games. The run includes the three qualifying rounds for the 2005/06 tournament but not the two finals in 2005 and 2007.

• Last season's run to the final in Athens began with a 0-0 draw at PSV Eindhoven. Their two starting games in their previous two participations both resulted in victories.