Porto pose threat to United defence

As if FC Porto's performance in the 2-2 first-leg draw were not evidence enough, history also suggests that Manchester United FC will not have it easy when they visit Portugal for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

• The holders have not won in three previous visits to Porto, though this should hardly constitute a surprise considering the more impressive statistic that the Portuguese champions have never lost at home to English opposition in eleven matches, six of them at the Estádio do Dragão.

• Porto will not intend to change that habit now and the home supporters will hope to see a repeat of their team's victory against United in the first knockout round in 2003/04.

• Jesualdo Ferreira's men enjoyed another memorable night against United in the first leg, Cristián Rodríguez's low fourth-minute shot giving them an unexpected lead at Old Trafford. Although Wayne Rooney capitalised on a calamitous error from Bruno Alves to level on the quarter-hour, Porto continued to have the better of the contest but looked like they would head home with nothing to show for their efforts when Carlos Tévez put United in front with five minutes remaining. There was still time, however, for Mariano to beat Edwin van der Sar in the 89th minute and take the teams to Portugal level at 2-2.

• Porto have won all bar one of the eight ties in UEFA club competition when they have drawn the first leg away from home, including their first knockout round triumph against Club Atlético de Madrid this season. Their sole defeat came at the hands of FC Bayern München in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals, the German side winning 2-0 in Portugal after a 1-1 draw in Munich.

• United, meanwhile, have travelled away from home after a first-leg home draw on eight occasions in UEFA club competition – and ended up winning four of those ties. They have had mixed fortunes in the UEFA Champions League, winning 3-2 at Juventus after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the 1998/99 semi-finals, but losing on away goals to Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the same stage in 2001/02 after a 2-2 home draw was followed by a 1-1 result in Germany.

• United have lost their last four knockout ties in the UEFA Champions League when they have played the second leg away from home.

• The Old Trafford team became the first English visitors to the Estádio do Dragão in 2003/04. Porto came from behind to defeat United 2-1 in the first leg of that last-16 tie after Benni McCarthy struck twice to overturn Quinton Fortune's opening goal. United lost Roy Keane to a late red card and Porto's subsequent 1-1 draw in Manchester carried that year's eventual champions through 3-2 on aggregate.

• The teams for the first leg in Porto were:
Porto: Vítor Baía, Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Maniche, Pedro Mendes, Dmitri Alenichev (Edgaras Jankauskas 63), Deco, Carlos Alberto (Ricardo Fernandes 75), Benni McCarthy (Bruno Moraes 83).
Man Utd: Tim Howard, Phil Neville (John O'Shea 70), Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Quinton Fortune, Roy Keane, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Louis Saha (Cristiano Ronaldo 76), Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Nistelrooy.

• That was one of two victories Porto have claimed from these clubs' three two-legged contests.

• The Portuguese side also beat United 6-5 on aggregate in the second round of the 1977/78 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, winning 4-0 at home before United mounted a brave, if ultimately futile, fightback with a 5-2 victory at Old Trafford.

• United came out on top when the sides met in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, recording a 4-0 first-leg success before a goalless draw in Portugal. Ryan Giggs scored United's third goal at Old Trafford, and Gary Neville and Paul Scholes also featured in the tie.

• Porto's overall record against English opposition is: W5 D8 L10.

• Their home record is: W5 D6 L0.

• Ferreira's side were 2-0 winners against the last English visitors to the Estádio do Dragão, Arsenal FC, in December – a victory that secured them first place in their group.

• United's most recent trip to Portugal ended in a 1-0 victory at Sporting Clube de Portugal in September 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winning goal against his former club.

• United lifted the European Cup for the first time in 1968 after beating Portugal's SL Benfica 4-1 in the final at Wembley.

• United's away record against Portuguese opposition is: W4 D1 L4.

• Their overall record against Portuguese opposition is: W13 D3 L4.

• Porto advanced to this stage of the competition by defeating Atlético on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw (2-2 away, 0-0 home) in the last 16. Prior to that they had finished top of Group G with a record of W4 D0 L2.

• Porto's quarter-final record is: P5 W2 L3.

• They went on to capture the European crown on the two previous occasions they came through a quarter-final – on their first appearance in the last eight, in 1987, and again on their most recent appearance in 2004.

• United reached the quarter-finals with a 2-0 aggregate success against Italian champions FC Internazionale Milano (0-0 away, 2-0 home). They had previously topped Group E with a record of W2 D4 L0 and, following Matchday 9 defeats for Bayern and Liverpool FC, are the only unbeaten side left in the competition.

• This is United's 15th quarter-final tie in Europe's élite club competition and their record is: P14 W10 L4.

• Sir Alex's men beat AS Roma at this stage in both 2007 and 2008 and are now seeking a third consecutive semi-final appearance – which would be a first for the English champions.

• Porto have already tasted defeat at home in this season's competition, losing 1-0 against FC Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 3. In addition to that goalless draw against Atlético in the first knockout round, they have recorded home wins against Fenerbahçe SK (3-1) and Arsenal (2-0).

• United won their first away game of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League, 3-0 at Aalborg, but have drawn their last three with fixtures at Celtic FC (1-1) and Villarreal CF (0-0) preceding the stalemate at Inter.

• United midfielder Anderson spent two seasons with Porto between 2005 and 2007. Signed from Grêmio FBPA, the Brazilian made three league appearances in his first campaign in Portugal but in the second featured 15 times, scoring twice and collecting a championship winners' medal.

• United pair Ronaldo and Nani will need no introduction to their Portuguese international team-mates in the Porto camp, Bruno Alves and Raul Meireles.

• Longer-serving Porto supporters may recall that their club has loosened Sir Alex Ferguson's grip on a European trophy before. In the 1983/84 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup campaign, Porto stopped the Scot's Aberdeen FC side at the semi-final stage, so ending his hopes of retaining the first piece of silverware he won in European football.

• AC Milan's semi-final success against United in May 2007 was the last time an English team lost to a foreign opponent in a UEFA Champions League knockout tie.

• Porto have won one and lost two of their previous penalty shoot-outs in UEFA club competition:
1-4 v FC Schalke 04, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League first knockout round
8-7 v CD Once Caldas, 2004 European/South American Cup final
3-5 v UC Sampdoria, 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final

• United have an identical record:
4-5 v Fehérvár, 1984/85 UEFA Cup quarter-finals
3-4 v Torpedo Moskva, 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round
6-5 v Chelsea, 2007/08 UEFA Champions League final

• The winners will face the victors of the Arsenal-Villarreal CF quarter-final tie in a semi-final to be played on Wednesday 29 April and Tuesday 5 May. Porto or United would have home advantage in the first leg.