Leipzig size up Porto obstacle

RB Leipzig have recorded a draw and a defeat in their first two UEFA Champions League fixtures, and are now looking to get their first Group G victory on the board at the expense of FC Porto.

Match background

Leipzig
• This is only Leipzig's third European game. They drew 1-1 at home to 2016/17 semi-finalists AS Monaco FC on matchday one, Emil Forsberg scoring their debut goal, and were beaten 2-0 at Beşiktaş JK in their last fixture.

• Leipzig qualified for a first foray into European competition by finishing second in the 2016/17 Bundesliga – in what, remarkably, was their first season in the German top flight.

• Leipzig are the 12th club to represent Germany in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• On matchday one, the German side became the first team from any country to make their European debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Porto
• Having lost 3-1 at home to Beşiktaş in their first outing, Porto bounced back impressively thanks to a 3-0 victory at Monaco in what was a repeat of the 2004 UEFA Champions League final.

• Porto's last win in Germany was a 3-1 success at Hamburger SV in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League group stage. Their record away to Bundesliga clubs since then is D1 L3.

• In 2015/16, Porto went down 2-0 away and 1-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Europa League round of 32. Their previous German exchange had brought a 6-1 reverse at FC Bayern München in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, equalling their record European defeat.

• Porto's 31 matches against German teams have ended W12 D7 L12 (W3 D4 L8 in Germany). However, their most notable result against German opponents came on neutral territory, in Vienna, where they beat Bayern 2-1 in the 1987 European Champion Clubs' Cup final. 

• The Portuguese club also claimed the 2004 UEFA Champions League on German soil, beating Monaco 3-0 in the Gelsenkirchen final.

• This is Porto's seventh successive group stage campaign and their record-equalling 22nd in total. In 2016/17, they reached the round of 16, bowing out against eventual runners-up Juventus (0-2 home, 0-1 away).

• Porto had lost their previous three UEFA Champions League fixtures, home and away, before winning at Monaco, their second victory in their last six games in the competition.

• Porto took four points away from home in last year's group stage.

• Last season was the third time in the last six campaigns that Porto have progressed from their group.

Coach and player links
• Timo Werner scored twice in Germany's 3-1 defeat of Cameroon in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage; Vincent Aboubakar got the Cameroon goal.

• Werner also scored, and provided an assist, in Germany's 4-1 semi-final win against a Mexico side including Miguel Layún and Héctor Herrera at this summer's Confederations Cup.

• Bruma was in Sporting Clube de Portugal's senior side in 2012/13, featuring in a 0-0 league draw against Porto.

• Have played together:
Bruma & Alex Telles (Galatasaray AS, 2014/15)
Bruma & Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad de Fútbol, 2015/16)
Bruma & Ricardo, José Sá, Sérgio Oliveira (Portugal Under-21s)

Match facts

Leipzig
• Both teams scored a penalty and had a player sent off as Leipzig won 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

• Lukas Klostermann scored his first top-flight goal as Leipzig won 2-1 at 1. FC Köln on 1 October.

• Leipzig have lost just one of their last nine home games, 5-4 against FC Bayern München on 13 May.

• Werner, who has nine goals in 11 appearances for club and country this season, missed the Köln game and Germany's European Qualifiers due to a cervical spine and jaw problem; he was an unused substitute against Dortmund.

• Stefan Ilsanker played in Austria's 3-2 win at home to Serbia on 6 October but missed the trip to Moldova three days later because of a toe injury. Marcel Sabitzer did not link up with Austria because of a dental operation.

• On 7 October, Naby Keïta scored and was later sent off as Guinea lost 4-1 at home to Tunisia in World Cup qualifying.

Porto
• Seeking their first league title since 2013, Porto won their opening seven Liga fixtures of the season before a goalless draw away to second-placed Sporting Clube de Portugal on 1 October.

• Porto have conceded just six goals in 11 outings this season, keeping seven clean sheets.

• Vincent Aboubakar this month signed a contract tying him to the club until summer 2021.

• Miguel Layún's goal at Monaco on matchday two was his first in nearly seven months for the club. Surprise starter Sérgio Oliveira had not featured for Porto since August 2016; he played 90 minutes at Sporting CP five days later.