Two sides chasing their first Champions League win of the season meet at Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday, when Porto host PSV in matchday three of the league phase.

The hosts from Portugal have lost both of their opening two fixtures of this European campaign and sit 30th on the 36-team table, four spots below the Netherlands visitors, who have managed just one point from a possible six.

Match preview

Porto’s return to the Champions League main stage after a two-year absence was made possible by an impressive run on the domestic front last term, where they lifted the Portuguese championship, ending a three-year wait for the title.

Francesco Farioli’s men have continued that fine form into this season, having won each of their opening eight fixtures of the top-flight campaign to sit five points clear atop the Primeira Liga table.

However, it has been a different story in Europe, with the Dragons one of only eight teams yet to pick up a point in this season’s Champions League league phase, after suffering a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City on matchday one before their 3-2 loss at Betis last week.

In an encounter where the decisive actions came after the interval, Porto came from a one-goal deficit to take a 2-1 lead through strikes from Gabriel Veiga and Samu Omorodion only to concede two late goals from Cucho Hernandez and Isco.

With no domestic fixtures over the weekend, Farioli’s side have a full week of rest heading into Tuesday’s continental assignment, and the 2004 Champions League winners can draw inspiration from winning six of their last seven competitive matches (L1) at the Dragao.

PSV, on the other hand, were in domestic action at the weekend, though that encounter ended in a disappointing 2-1 defeat to ADO Den Haag, where midfielder Sven Mijnans turned hero to villain, scoring the opener before receiving his marching orders later on.

The result leaves the Boeren four points adrift of the Dutch top-flight summit, and it means they have now lost three consecutive Eredivisie games against promoted sides for the second time in the club’s history, having also done so in 1966.

PSV have lost back-to-back competitive fixtures in the space of four days, having suffered a 1-0 setback at Leipzig in last week’s continental outing, following a 1-1 home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday one.

At risk of losing three consecutive matches for the first time since March 2025, Peter Bosz’s team are also struggling for away form this midweek, having lost each of their last three outings on the road.

PSV have the inferior head-to-head record too, winning just one of the previous four meetings between the sides – all coming in the European Cup/Champions League – and losing two, though their last visit to Porto ended in a 2-2 draw in 1992.
 

Porto Champions League form:

Porto form (all competitions):

PSV Eindhoven Champions League form:

PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):

Team News

Porto are expected to remain without William Gomes and Vasco Sousa as both players continue their recovery from respective injuries.

Meanwhile, Chris Smalling, Gabriel Mec and Dominik Prpic are ineligible to feature on Tuesday, as they are not registered with UEFA.

On a positive note, Jan Bednarek is back into contention after completing his continental suspension and is likely to partner his fellow Polish teammate Jakob Kiwior at the heart of defence.

It would not be much of a surprise to see Samu handed his first start of the season since returning from his lengthy injury, having found the net in last week’s trip to Betis.

For PSV, there are several injury absentees, including midfielder Paul Wanner, and attackers Ricardo Pepi and Sam Lammers, while Guus Til’s availability for Tuesday is doubtful after the midfielder was forced off at the weekend.

Ruben van Bommel could return to the line-up if deemed fit enough after the winger was left out of the squad at Den Haag as a precautionary measure, while Mijnans’s domestic suspension does not carry into Europe, so he is likely to lead the line again.
 

Porto possible starting lineup:

D Costa; M Fernandes, Bednarek, Kiwior, F Moura; Froholdt, Rosario, Veiga; Sainz, Samu, Pepe

PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Dest, Geertruida, Obispo, Kostic; Sano, Junior; Perisic, Santos, Van Bommel; Mijnans

We say: Porto 2-1 PSV Eindhoven

Porto’s home advantage could count in their favour against an injury-threatened PSV, who have struggled on the road, so we are backing the Dragons to secure their first win of the competition.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.