FC Porto vs Liverpool Preview: XG, pass map, creative zones and more – what do the stats say? | OneFootball

Group B leaders Liverpool will travel to face FC Porto in round two of the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 season. Liverpool were the only winners in their group in the first round.

The Reds made a comeback after going 1-2 down against AC Milan at Anfield. Club captain Jordan Henderson was the driving force from the midfield.

The above viz shows is the representation of Liverpool performance in their match against AC Milan. The Reds took an early lead from an own goal by Tomori. Milan scored two back-to-back goals in the first half to take the lead. Jordan Henderson and Mo salah helped their side to a win by scoring a goal each in the second half.

Liverpool attempted 22 shots towards goal and eight shots were on target. The xG rate of the team is around 2.7. We can see the number of crosses attempted by the Liverpool players and constant pressure earned them 15 corners in the match.

Mo Salah has the highest xG rate in the match. The Egyptian attempted five shots towards the opposition goal in the match and three were on target. Midfield player Jordan Henderson made the most number of recoveries in the opposition half. Joel Matip was dominant in the air and the centre back won six aerial duels for the team.

This is Jordan Henderson’s pass map of the previous match. The midfielder offered constant support to right-back Trent Arnold and even took wider positions in the match. He attempted a few crosses into the opposition box and was a constant threat with his passing. Henderson attempted two shots towards the opposition goal, one shot was saved by the keeper and the other resulted in a goal.

Jurgen Klopp rested Van Dijk and Mane in the previous match and both players can return to the starting line-up in this match. Thiago will be an absentee after the Spanish midfielder is ruled out due to injury.

Porto played out a 0-0 draw away at Atletico Madrid in their first match. Both teams created very few chances and attempted nine shots combined towards the opposition goal. Chancel Mbemba received a red card in the stoppage time of the second half.

The creative zones for Porto were towards the wide sides. Atletico defended well and didn’t allow their opponents to create chances from the centre. The right side was dominated by Otavio, and he created the highest xT from passes for the Portuguese club.

Porto players only attempted three shots in the match, with one shot on target. All three attempts were from inside the opposition box and a goal was ruled out for Porto in the dying minutes of the match due to handball. Porto players won half of their defensive duels and around 40% of the aerial duels. Offensive duels and loose balls duels win% was only 30.

Liverpool will take the momentum into this match and look to earn two victories in a row. The Reds have been a very attacking side under Jurgen Klopp and will surely knock on Porto’s door. Porto will surely try to improve their attacking stats in the match and give their fans something to cheer about.