Team
news, stats, kick-off time ahead of the Champions League quarter-final
second leg between Chelsea and Porto on Tuesday.
Team news
Thomas Tuchel is blessed with a fully-fit squad for Chelsea's Champions
League quarter-final second leg in Seville. Thiago Silva could earn an
immediate recall to defence after serving a domestic suspension against
Crystal Palace.
Midfielder N'Golo Kante has recovered from a hamstring injury and is in
contention to feature from the start, but Tuchel said: "We need to be
careful about him. The question is whether we want him to start or finish
the game. It is not answered yet, I will do this tomorrow."
Goals from Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell secured a comfortable 2-0 victory
for Chelsea in last week's first leg. Chelsea have kept three clean sheets
in a row in the Champions League and are unbeaten in nine European matches.
Porto have to throw caution to the wind and will need to score at least
three goals to turn the tables on Chelsea and reach the semi-finals.
But Porto manager Sergio Conceicao has admitted they will not take any risks
with Sergio Oliveira's fitness. Oliveira has scored 17 goals in all
competitions for Porto and can return after suspension, but boss Conceicao
is not sure whether he can manage 90 minutes.
"We will see tomorrow," said Conceicao. "As you know, the last match as I
can say, he was not yet ready for the 90
minutes because of a small muscle problem and it is always dangerous."
The winner will face either Real Madrid or Liverpool in the semi-finals.
Opta stats
Chelsea have won the first leg of a UEFA Champions League knockout tie for
the 11th time, progressing on eight of the previous 10 occasions, failing
only against Barcelona in 1999-2000 and Liverpool in 2006-07.
There have only been four previous occasions of a side progressing after
losing the first leg of a UEFA Champions League knockout tie without scoring
a goal at 'home' - Ajax in 1995-96 vs Panathinaikos, Inter Milan in 2010-11
vs Bayern Munich, Manchester United in 2018-19 vs Paris SG and Spurs in
2018-19 vs Ajax.
Chelsea have won each of their last two matches in European competition that
were held in Spain (4-0 vs Sevilla in the group stages and 2-0 vs Porto in
the first leg) - they have never won three consecutive European matches held
in Spain.
After beating Leicester City 5-0 in the group stages of this competition in
December 2016, Porto are winless in their following seven matches against
English sides in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L5), scoring only twice while
conceding 16 goals themselves.
Chelsea are unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League this season (P9 W7 D2 L0),
and could become the first English to go unbeaten across their first 10
games in a season in the competition since Liverpool in 2017-18 (11 games).
Chelsea have kept seven clean sheets in nine UEFA Champions League matches
this season, the joint-most along with Manchester City; the last side to
keep more clean sheets in a single campaign in the competition was Juventus
in 2016-17 (nine). The Blues are looking to keep a clean sheet in four
consecutive matches in the competition for the first time since a run of six
ending in March 2008.
Porto have won only one of their 20 UEFA Champions League knockout stage
matches as the away side (D6 L13), with that coming against Deportivo de La
Coruña in the semi-finals in 2003-04.
Chelsea have won their last seven UEFA Champions League matches with Édouard
Mendy in the team - the only goalkeeper to win more consecutive games for an
English club in the competition is fellow Frenchman Fabien Barthez with
Manchester United during the 2002-03 campaign (eight games).
Mason Mount is looking to become only the second Englishman to score in both
legs of a UEFA Champions League knockout stage tie for Chelsea after Frank
Lampard, who did so against Bayern Munich in 2004-05 at the quarter-final
stage.
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