Mo Salah on the verge of rare Reds achievement
Mohamed Salah could write his name in Liverpool history with a goal at FC Porto this evening.
To find out how the Egyptian could join an elite group of 12 former Reds, and nine other pre-match facts about the Champions League clash courtesy of club statistician Ged Rea, read on…
Salah is one goal away from becoming only the 13th player to score 30 in a season for the club.
Liverpool’s two previous victories in Portugal came at Benfica in 1978 and 1984 in quarter-finals. On both occasions the Reds went on to win the European Cup.
Jürgen Klopp’s side qualified for the knockout stages by topping their group. They scored 23 goals in their six games - a record for an English club and a total surpassed only by Paris Saint-Germain’s 25, also this season.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the Champions League including qualifiers, winning five and drawing five.
Klopp has lost only two of his 21 European games while in charge at Anfield, with the Reds scoring 46 goals in those fixtures.
Liverpool have scored at least twice in 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions.
Porto reached this stage by finishing as runners-up to Besiktas in Group G. They picked up 10 points from six matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding 10.
This is one of only two Round of 16 ties to feature two European champions. Chelsea against Barcelona is the other.
Excluding a penalty shootout defeat to Sporting CP in the Portuguese League Cup equivalent, the hosts have not lost in 30 domestic games. Their two other losses in 36 matches this season have come in the Champions League.
At home this season, Porto have lost just one of 19 games (to Besiktas), scoring 54 times. They are unbeaten in the last 15 at the Estadio do Dragao.