Europa League Matchday 5 takes place this midweek, with Anderlecht back in action against Porto.
The giants of Belgian football are unbeaten so far in the Europa League, with three wins and a draw, placing them 5th in the table. Conversely, Porto have made a slow start to their European campaign with a solitary win, a draw and two defeats to their name.
With that being said, most of the pressure will be on the team from Portugal as they seek to put themselves into serious contention among the qualifying places.
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Anderlecht vs Porto Preview
Anderlecht enter this fixture off the back of two thumping wins – 5-0 vs Cercle Brugge, and 6-0 vs Gent – so will be full of confidence when facing a tough Porto test. Despite this, domestically they still remain 4th, eight points behind league leaders Genk, so the most likely opportunity for silverware may come in the Europa League this season.
They’re in a good position to qualify automatically into the Round of 16 by finishing in the top eight spots in the league phase, with only one remaining opponent currently sitting within the top 16 of the table. Of course, this is a bit misleading and can all change quickly, especially with fixtures against reputable teams such as Porto and Hoffenheim to get through.
On the other hand, Porto are a team used to playing in the Champions League, rather than the Europa League, with last season’s Round of 16 exit to Arsenal in Europe’s premiere competition a good indication of where their true ambitions lie. However, it’s the results on the pitch that count the most, and their performance in Europe so far this season has been underwhelming, to say the least.
Just one win from their first four games has left them needing something special in the second half of the league phase if they want a chance of qualifying automatically for the Round of 16, although they can also get there via the Play-Offs.
Either way, Porto will need a stark improvement, with upcoming fixtures against last year’s Europa Conference League winners Olympiacos to contend with, they can’t afford any more slip-ups if they want to avoid an embarrassing early exit.
Anderlecht vs Porto Odds
*Odds are subject to change
Despite being the home team with a better European record this season, Anderlecht are outsiders at 2.80, with Porto the favourites at 2.20. You can get the draw at 3.70.
Anderlecht vs Porto Betting Tips
Half with Most Goals – 2nd Half @ 1.95
You know when you just know something is going to happen? Like, you can just feel it in your gut? This isn’t one of those times at all, but the game to explode into life in the second half just sounds fun.
Team to Win Either Half – Porto @ 1.60
And once we see that second half explosion, we expect Porto to use their considerable European experience to come out on top. Of course, they could have already done it in the first half.
Anytime Goalscorer – Mario Stroeykens @ 4.80
Stroeykens has been at the heart of everything positive in Anderlecht’s season thus far, so we fancy him to continue in that vein by grabbing a goal in this one.
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