Ferreira: Eyeing victory
Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira believes his side can beat Chelsea in their top-of-the-table UEFA Champions League clash.
The pair have already ensured their qualification to the knockout stages of the elite competition but both want to finish top of Group D.
Ferreira's team go into Wednesday's game - which is being shown live on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports HD1 at 7.45pm - just a point behind the Blues and victory will give the Portuguese champions a two-point advantage ahead of their final match against Atletico Madrid.
While their form domestically has been scrappy recently - Ferreira's side lie third in the Portuguese league after a draw with struggling Belenenses and then defeat at Maritimo last time - the coach is confident of success.
He insists his side played well in the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge back in September and can push on in the Estadio do Dragao.
Ferreira said: "None of the games of Porto is without pressure or responsibility. The most important thing is to guarantee a good game.
"The idea is to get the most points in qualification and go forward. Porto, in the last few years, has always made its presence felt in the knockout phase of the Champions League.
"We want to play at a more superior level than we have been during the last few weeks.
"We had a very good performance at Stamford Bridge so we must now look to win the game here and to compete at the most superior level we can.
"Porto has been struggling, that's a fact. But the international break allowed us to work intensively and gave us a positive outcome.
"We need to compete and there is nothing better than playing against a good team like Chelsea, to see how we are evolving.
"Chelsea are having a very strong Champions League and have one more point than us but Porto can win against a very strong opponent.
"The result depends on the capacity of Porto to face its opponent."
The Portuguese champions could recall experienced Brazilian goalkeeper Helton, out of action since 8th November with an injury to his right foot, but Ferreira was determined to give nothing away.
"We have 22 players who can play and they will be chosen from the criteria Porto always follows, which is the quality of the player," he said.
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 16th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | AC Milan vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Lyon vs Real Madrid |
| Wednesday 17th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Bayern Munich vs Fiorentina |
| 19:45 | FC Porto vs Arsenal |
| Tuesday 23rd February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Olympiacos vs Bordeaux |
| 19:45 | VfB Stuttgart vs Barcelona |
| Wednesday 24th February | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 17:30 | CSKA Moscow vs Sevilla |
| 19:45 | Inter Milan vs Chelsea |
| Tuesday 9th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs FC Porto |
| 19:45 | Fiorentina vs Bayern Munich |
| Wednesday 10th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Man Utd vs AC Milan |
| 19:45 | Real Madrid vs Lyon |
| Tuesday 16th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Chelsea vs Inter Milan |
| 19:45 | Sevilla vs CSKA Moscow |
| Wednesday 17th March | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| 19:45 | Barcelona vs VfB Stuttgart |
| 19:45 | Bordeaux vs Olympiacos |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 9th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Liverpool 1 - 2 Fiorentina | |
| Lyon 4 - 0 Debrecen | |
| Inter Milan 2 - 0 Rubin Kazan | |
| Dynamo Kiev 1 - 2 Barcelona | |
| VfB Stuttgart 3 - 1 Unirea Urziceni | |
| Sevilla 1 - 0 Rangers | |
| Olympiacos 1 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Standard Liege 1 - 1 AZ | |
| Tuesday 8th December | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Juventus 1 - 4 Bayern Munich | |
| Maccabi Haifa 0 - 1 Bordeaux | |
| Wolfsburg 1 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Besiktas 1 - 2 CSKA Moscow | |
| FC Zurich 1 - 1 AC Milan | |
| Marseille 1 - 3 Real Madrid | |
| Chelsea 2 - 2 Apoel Nicosia | |
| Atletico Madrid 0 - 3 FC Porto | |
| Wednesday 25th November | |
| UEFA Champions League | |
| Bordeaux 2 - 0 Juventus | |
| Bayern Munich 1 - 0 Maccabi Haifa | |
| CSKA Moscow 2 - 1 Wolfsburg | |
| Man Utd 0 - 1 Besiktas | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Olympiakos FC | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Standard Liege | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | AZ Alkmaar | 6 | 4 |
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