FC Barcelona are currently preparing for their second match in the Champions League group stage against Porto, which is set to take place on Wednesday. Porto are the toughest opponents for the Blaugranes in the group, at least on paper, and this match will definitely be an interesting affair for the spectators.
The Portuguese coach Carlos Carvalhal, who last managed Celta in Spain after being in charge of several sides across Europe, talked to SPORT about the various aspects of this upcoming match in the UCL.
Players dangerous for Barcelona
The former coach identified one particular player from Porto who can cause misery for Barcelona and Xavi:
“I would say Galeno, who was the MVP against Shakhtar. He is very strong, very fast, good at one-on-ones, and he can score. He is very dangerous.”
“Xavi is intelligent, and Porto has Galeno on the left, a very fast player. We will have to see if Cancelo will play more centrally or if the formation will respect the opponent’s actions more, thus affecting the initial positions. It’s something I’ll be keeping a close eye on – if Xavi will stick completely to his footballing philosophy.”
Carvalhal also picked Taremi and Ivan Jaime as two other players who can hurt Barcelona:
“Taremi. He is very clever and experienced. Also, I would mention Iván Jaime, the player who will play behind Taremi. He is young, and usually, young players find it hard to break into Sergio Conceiçao’s team because he gives them an adaptation period. But Iván Jaime arrived this year and is already playing a lot, which is not common.”
Porto to come with revenge in their minds
Overall, Carvalhal believed Barcelona would not find it easy to face Porto for one particular reason:
“If they had won, they would have come out strong against Barcelona because motivation levels would be very high. But losing, they start from anger, so in one way or another, Barcelona should expect a very strong opponent.”
The highly experienced coach, who has worked with SC Braga, Sporting de Portugal, Besiktas, Sheffield Utd., etc. during his career, has provided some interesting insights into Barcelona’s upcoming match.
Barcelona would thus have to keep an eye on Galeno, Taremi, and Ivan Jaime, to secure another three points in the Champions League.
