FC Porto have successfully fulfilled their domestic league duties in the fixture sandwiched between the two Champions League meetings with FC Bayern. Three days ahead of the quarter-final return at the Allianz Arena, coach Julen Lopetegui’s team beat 14th-placed Académica Coimbra 1-0 and remain second in the table, three points off Benfica. The leaders ran out 2-0 winners against Belenenses in the Lisbon derby.
A 36,117 crowd at the Estádio do Dragao in Porto saw Lopetegui make nine changes to his team compared to last Wednesday’s 3-1 victory against FCB. Keeper Fabiano and full-back Alex Sandro, who is suspended for the head-to-head in Munich, were the only survivors from the midweek line-up. The likes of Ricardo Quaresma, Jackson Martínez, Brahimi and Oliver Torres were rested prior to the showdown in Europe’s elite club competition.
The home team quickly adapted to their unfamiliar formation and Hernani opened the scoring after 12 minutes. The two-time European Cup/Champions League winners, who will travel to Munich on Sunday, were generally superior and created the better chances, but Evandro, Campaña, Jose Angel, Aboubakar and captain Martínez, on as a late substitute, failed to increase the margin of victory.
FC Porto line-up against Académica Coimbra: Fabiano - Ricardo, Reyes, Jose Angel, Alex Sandro - Campaña (Torres 65), Rúben Neves, Evandro - Quintero (Marcano 59), Aboubakar (Martínez 83) - Hernani
