FC Porto vs Lokomotiv Moscow Predictions

Lokomotiv Moscow’s European hopes hang by a thread ahead of Tuesday’s visit to Portugal. The Russian side have taken zero points from their opening three games, and now they head to the group leaders in desperate need of a lifeline. The Portuguese champions can take a step towards the last 16 with another victory at home, following their unbeaten start in Europe. Will the Dragons be able to secure another win and maintain their grip on first, or can the visitors bring a major twist to this group?

The hosts are in a fantastic position both domestically and in Europe. They are leading the way in the Primeira Liga, as they look to retain the title they won last term. Saturday brought a 2-0 win at Maritimo, while the Dragons saw Benfica beaten on Friday night, bringing more joy to the champions. Having lost their recent clash with their biggest rivals, Porto have bounced back and taken advantage of the Eagles’ poor form to open a cushion in the title race. Can they now do the same as they look to book a place in the next round of the Champions League?

Lokomotiv went down 3-1 to Porto at home in their last European game. That all but condemned them to an early exit in Europe, as they’re four points off third with three games to go. The visitors have done little so far that suggests they can make a comeback, and they’re likely to be switching their focus back to domestic affairs after this clash. After all, the away side are four points off the top in the Russian Premier League after their weekend win.

The visitors are on a terrible run in this competition, as they have scored just one goal in their last seven away Champions League matches (W0 D1 L6). They should suffer against a Porto side who are being driven on by the in-form Moussa Marega. The forward scored in the last meeting between these two, and he’s set to start in midweek.

Marega has stepped up to replace the injured Vincent Aboubakar, and Porto are still thriving as a result. The hosts have eight wins and six clean sheets in their last nine, while they’ve won five games on the spin. In their last five they’ve hit 17 goals and conceded just three, winning every contest by at least two goals. With that in mind, we expect another comfortable margin here – seeing as Lokomotiv have lost to nil in three of their last four in this competition, conceding eight times. We’re backing Porto with a -1 handicap, along with a 2-0 victory for the hosts.