Sadio Mane could come up against Porto for the sixth time tonight, with the Liverpool forward looking to build on his exceptional scoring rate on a milestone appearance.
Mane is in line to reach the landmark of 50 European games for Liverpool – the 25th man to do so for the club.
He will join Phil Thompson and Michael Owen who also played exactly 50 times.
Mane’s goal in the meeting with Atletico Madrid earlier this month saw him move into outright third place on the Reds all-time European goalscorers list, with 23, above Owen (22).
The No. 10 has found the net five times in five games against Porto, averaging a goal every 79 minutes, and he has scored in each of his last five appearances at Anfield in league and cup.
Familiar foes
Liverpool have defeated Porto in three of four Anfield meetings, drawing the other, scoring eight and conceding just once.
In each of the four previous seasons the teams have met, Liverpool have gone on to reach the semi-finals at least – three times in the Champions League.
They have scored 23 goals against Porto – more than they have ever scored against any team in Europe, doing so in nine games.
This will be the 10th time Liverpool have faced Porto, same as Benfica and Barcelona. Only against Chelsea (11 times) have they played more in Europe.
Champions League best
Liverpool have now reached the knockout stages for the 12th time in the last 15 Champions League campaigns.
They’ve won their opening four fixtures in this group phase, doing so for the first time ever, and are the only team going into Matchday 5 of this season’s competition guaranteed to be group winners.
Should they win this game they will reach 15 points to beat their previous best of 14, set in 2008/09, a group which also contained Atletico Madrid.
They have scored more goals (13) than the other three teams in the group put together (11). They are also the only team not to have drawn a game in Group B.
Liverpool are one of four teams with a 100 percent record in the groups after four games, along with Ajax, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
They are two wins away from becoming the first English team ever to win all six group games of a Champions League campaign and the eighth to do so in the history of the competition.
Real class
Liverpool have scored in 25 consecutive games in all competitions since failing to score against Real Madrid in an empty Anfield in April 2021.
They have scored at least twice in each of their last 15 fixtures since a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in August and in 22 of the last 23 outings.
Have lost just one of last 27 games in all competitions – at West Ham earlier this month.
Diogo’s reunion
Diogo Jota scored once in eight Champions League games for Porto – in a 5-0 home defeat of Leicester in 2016/17 while on loan from Atletico Madrid.
He played 38 times that season under Porto coach Nuno Esperito Santo, scoring nine goals.
Jota has scored 14 goals in 27 European appearances for English clubs, including nine goals in 14 Europa League games for Wolves, a tally which included two hat-tricks.
He is the third player to appear for both Liverpool and Porto in the Champions League following Aly Cissokho and Marko Grujic.
Ivan Marcano, Sergio Oliveira, Otavio and Jesus Corona were all team-mates of Jota’s while he was on loan at Porto.
Porto on form
Porto have lost only one of 10 away games this season in league and cup having been defeated 3-1 at Santa Clara in a cup tie last month.
Porto have scored in all but one of their 18 games this season – at Atletico in the Champions League.
Of those 18 games, Porto have lost only twice – one of those to Liverpool.
One to watch
Luis Diaz opened the scoring for Porto in the game at Man City in last season’s group phase. Porto went on to lose 3-1.
Diaz has scored 11 times this season in league and cup and has four in Porto’s last four games.
This season’s scorers
Liverpool: Salah 16, Mane 9, Firmino 6, Jota 6, Minamino 4, Keita 3, Origi 3, Henderson 2, Alexander-Arnold 1, Fabinho 1, Jones 1, own goals 1
Porto: Diaz 11, Taremi 9, Evanilson 5, Martinez 4, Oliveira 4, Otavio 2, Uribe 2, Conceicao 1, Loader 1, Marcano 1, Pepe 1, Wendell 1
* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
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