Preview: Porto v BATE Borisov - UEFA

Preview: Porto v BATE Borisov
Published: Tuesday 16 September 2014, 19.50CET
FC Porto are big favourites for their game at home to FC BATE Borisov but Julen Lopetegui is taking nothing for granted against Belarusian visitors in a rich vein of form.
by Carlos Jorge Santos
from Porto

Preview: Porto v BATE Borisov
Julen Lopetegui at training on the eve of the game ©AFP/Getty Images


    InjuredKnee - Gonçalo Paciência (Porto)
    InjuredShoulder - Óliver Torres (Porto)
    DoubtfulUnspecified - Tubić (BATE)

    SuspendedSuspended
    InjuredInjured
    DoubtfulDoubtful

Last updated: 16/09/2014 18:19 CET
Tournament statistics
Porto
Porto
BATE
BATE
   
FC Shakhtar Donetsk Shakhtar Donetsk    0    0
FC Porto Porto    0    0
FC BATE Borisov BATE    0    0
Athletic Club Athletic    0    0
Last updated: 17/09/2014 01:17 CET

17 September 2014
G    Chelsea    Chelsea    20:45    Schalke    Schalke
H    Porto    Porto    20:45    BATE    BATE
E    Roma    Roma    20:45    CSKA Moskva    CSKA Moskva
E    Bayern    Bayern    20:45    Man. City    Man. City
F    Barcelona    Barcelona    20:45    APOEL    APOEL
F    Ajax    Ajax    20:45    Paris    Paris
G    Maribor    Maribor    20:45    Sporting    Sporting
H    Athletic    Athletic    20:45    Shakhtar Donetsk    Shakhtar Donetsk
All matches


 

• Julen Lopetegui says there is a will to win in the Porto dressing room
• Porto had won all five matches this season before drawing at the weekend
• BATE are 22 top-flight games unbeaten (15 wins and seven draws) since 29 March
• Aleksandr Yermakovich says his BATE team "do not fear anyone"
• Lopetegui and Yermakovich making their UEFA Champions League bows
Related Items


“
We don't have a player like Jackson Martínez, with his stature in Europe, but we have a very good team
Aleksandr Yermakovich
”

Possible lineups
Porto: Fabiano; Danilo, Maicon, Martins Indi, Alex Sandro; Casemiro, Evandro, Herrera; Tello, Brahimi, Jackson.
• Out: Gonçalo Paciência (knee), Óliver Torres (shoulder)

BATE: Chernik; Khagush, Polyakov, Filipenko, Mladenović; A Volodko, Likhtarovich, Olekhnovich; Yakovlev, Rodionov, Gordeychuk.
• Doubtful: Nemanja Tubić (unspecified)

Julen Lopetegui, Porto coach
It's going to be a tough match. We are in the group stage of the Champions League, so no game is going to be easy. Porto want to start well but it will be a hard match – they have a very good team. It's important for us and for every Champions League club to start well.

BATE Borisov are a very strong team and our group will be very competitive. We will need to prepare well for each match. I can sense a will to win in the dressing room; the players want to be successful in this competition and are focused on doing things well.

There are a lot of games and if we want to be competitive we need to be in good condition. I try to make my team balanced in every department.

Aleksandr Yermakovich, BATE coach
Porto are a very strong team but we know a lot about them. We are anxious to get out onto the pitch and get going. We are likely to base our game on a counterattacking approach – and try to win the match like that. We want to win and certainly didn't come here to lose.

Yermakovich singled out Jackson Martínez

Porto have won the Champions League and the Europa League, but we are still thinking about winning here tomorrow. "We don't have a player like Jackson Martínez, with his stature in Europe, but we have a very good team". We don't fear anyone.