Leicester v Porto: line-ups, where to watch, form guide
Monday, September 26, 2016
Article summary
Leicester City's first ever UEFA Champions League home game will "continue the fairy tale" according to Claudio Ranieri, who in Islam Slimani has a striker on fire against Porto in 2016.
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Article body
- Leicester welcome Porto for first ever UEFA Champions League home fixture
- Leicester have lost just two of last 20 home games in all competitions
- Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri: "Fantastic to continue the fairy tale"
- Leicester's Islam Slimani has scored five in three against Porto in 2016
- Porto have been beaten in 14 of 16 matches away to English opposition
Possible line-ups
Leicester: Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton; Slimani, Vardy.
Out: Mendy (ankle)
Porto: Casillas; Layún, Marcano, Felipe, Alex Telles; Danilo, Óliver Torres, Herrera, Otávio; André Silva, Adrián López.
Where to watch
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here
Claudio Ranieri, Leicester manager
It is fantastic for our fans. A lot of them came to Bruges to hear the music. Tomorrow a lot more can hear it. It will be fantastic to continue the fairy tale and we hope to produce good football and a victory.
[Islam] Slimani has scored a lot against Porto [while at Sporting CP] and I'm sure he'll be a threat to them. [He and Riyad Mahrez] know each other and play in every international together. I've seen them in matches and in training and they have a very good relationship.
We have a lot of respect for Porto, who are a more experienced team in Europe. They've played so many Champions League matches.
Nuno Espírito Santo, Porto coach
History tells us that Porto have never managed to win in England but these records – they are there to be broken. We didn't play well against København but the team have improved since then.
Leicester are champions of the Premier League, which is one of most competitive leagues in the world with very good squads and fantastic teams. What Leicester did last year is remarkable and we must respect it.
The only way to control [Leicester] is to be balanced and control the game as a team. We are a team that like to play and control the ball and we will try to do it here.
Weekend results
Manchester United 4-1 Leicester (Smalling 22, Mata 37, Rashford 40, Pogba 42; Gray 59)
With Leicester trailing 4-0, Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were withdrawn at half-time. The Foxes have now conceded four goals in a game on three occasions in 2016/17.
Porto 3-1 Boavista (André Silva 19 41pen, Alex Telles 86; Gonçalves 5)
André Silva took his season's tally to four, while Alex Telles notched his first for the Dragons.
Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
Leicester: LLWWLW
Porto: WDDWLW
Reporter's view: Simon Hart (@UEFAcomSimonH)
Leicester had a chastening lunchtime at Old Trafford on Saturday though it is worth noting they also went into matchday one on the back of a 4-1 defeat, that time at Anfield. They may be having a patchy domestic campaign but they have yet to lose at home and their first UEFA Champions League match on home soil promises to be an emotionally charged occasion, with all of Ranieri's players switched on – something that wasn't the case for the 90 minutes in Manchester. While Porto have the European experience, the Foxes have in their team a player who has claimed five goals against the Dragons already in 2016, Slimani.
Did you know?
Ranieri's Valencia side won the 2004 UEFA Super Cup against a Porto team containing Nuno as reserve goalkeeper – find out more in our extensive match background.