Atlético in need of elusive first home win

Club Atlético de Madrid do not often lose at home in the UEFA Champions League but they have yet to win in Group D this season and must now defeat FC Porto to make sure of a place in the UEFA Europa League.

• While the Portuguese champions secured progress on Matchday 4 and were condemned to second place by a 1-0 home loss to section winners Chelsea FC last time out, Atlético have drawn both their home matches to date and possess three points, one more than APOEL FC. The Spanish side therefore have to match the result obtained by their Cypriot rivals at Chelsea to hold on to third position and prolong their European season.

Previous meetings
• The Portuguese champions made their second-half superiority tell in the Matchday 2 meeting between the sides as goals from Falcao and Rolando saw off Atlético 2-0 at the Estádio do Dragão.

• The teams also met in last season's first knockout round, when Porto again held the upper hand. Lisandro's double at the Vicente Calderón made the difference for the visitors in a 2-2 draw, with Maxi Rodríguez and Diego Forlán on target for the hosts. A scoreless second leg ensured that Porto marched on.

• The teams for the first leg in Madrid on 24 February 2009 were:
Atlético: Franco, Seitaridis, Antonio López, Forlán, Raúl García (Maniche 67), Agüero (Sinama Pongolle 56), Maxi Rodríguez (Miguel 80), Paulo Assunção, Ujfaluši, Simão, Pablo Ibáñez.
Porto: Helton, Bruno Alves, Lucho, Lisandro (Sektioui 90), Cristián Rodríguez, Hulk, Rolando, Raul Meireles (Tomás Costa 90), Săpunaru (Pedro Emanuel 79), Fernando, Cissokho.

• The clubs had previously met only once in a competitive fixture, the 1963/64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round. That went Atlético's way thanks to a 2-1 home success, the game in Portugal again ending scoreless.

Match background
• The draws with APOEL and Chelsea extended Atlético's unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League to six matches. Last season they won two and drew one of their group games before the stalemate with Porto.

• Porto's defeat at Chelsea on Matchday 1 is their only reverse in six UEFA Champions League away games. They succumbed 4-0 at Arsenal FC last season but then remained unbeaten on their travels, winning 2-1 at both FC Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahçe SK and then drawing at Atlético and Manchester United FC in the knockout stages.

• Porto have only lost one of their last five competitive outings in Spain. Last season's visit to Atlético was preceded by a 1-0 victory at RC Deportivo La Coruña in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, which took them through to their subsequent final triumph against AS Monaco FC.

• Apart from Porto, Atlético have faced only two Portuguese teams and won both home games.

Team ties
• Atlético midfielder Paulo Assunção has had two stints with Porto. In 2000/01 he made 36 appearances for the B team and returned in 2004 for a four-year stay.

• Atlético's Simão, who was named Portuguese Player of the Year in 2007, has had spells with Sporting Clube de Portugal (1996-1999) and SL Benfica (2001-2007).

• Now at 1. FC Köln, Maniche helped Porto to the UEFA Champions League crown in 2004 and UEFA Cup victory the previous season, before turning out for Atlético between 2006 and 2009.

• A hero both at Porto and Atlético, Paulo Futre helped the Portuguese side win the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1987, before enjoying a six-year spell at Atlético, with whom he lifted two Spanish Cups.

• Porto's Álvaro Pereira, Fucile, Cristián Rodríguez and Atlético's Forlán all turned out for Uruguay against Colombia, including Atlético's Luis Perea, in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Uruguay won both games.

• On 11 October 2008, Atlético's Sergio Agüero scored Argentina's second goal in the 2-1 World Cup qualifying home win against Uruguay, with Fucile and Rodríguez on the losing side.

• Agüero was again victorious as Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 at home on 6 June this year, a World Cup qualifying game which also featured Porto's Colombian duo Fredy Guarín and Falcao.

• José Antonio Reyes faced Porto in 2008/09 while on loan at SL Benfica, starting both of the 1-1 draws between the two sides in the Portuguese Liga.