FC Porto vs. Manchester City UEFA Europa League preview

Holders FC Porto will look to make the best of a tough draw as they take on fellow former UEFA Champions League participants Manchester City in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

The sides have been paired for the first time in UEFA competition although they did meet in a 2006 pre-season friendly at the City of Manchester Stadium. Porto won 1-0 courtesy of Adriano’s 43rd-minute strike.

Porto have played 28 games against English clubs in Europe with the record W6 D8 L14 (W6 D6 L2 at home).

Porto have welcomed City’s neighbours Manchester United FC four times, recording two wins, a draw and a defeat. At Old Trafford they drew 1-1 in 2003/04 and 2-2 in 2008/09, losing in 1977 and 1997. Their ten other visits to England have all also ended in defeat.

City’s only previous meeting with Portuguese opponents came in the quarter-finals of their triumphant 1969/70 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup campaign, when they drew 0-0 at A. Academica de Coimbra before Tony Towers scored the only goal of the tie in the 119th minute at Maine Road.

Both teams finished third in their respective UEFA Champions League groups; Porto lost out to APOEL FC and FC Zenit St Petersburg in Group G, while FC Bayern München and SSC Napoli took the first two places in Group A ahead of City.

Porto are unbeaten in seven European home games – five wins and two draws – since a 1-0 defeat by Sevilla FC in last season’s UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg. They have drawn their last two home matches.

Porto’s two most recent UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League campaigns, in 2002/03 and last season, ended with them winning the tournament; they have not lost a two-legged tie since a 2-0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool FC in the 2000/01 quarter-finals.

City are playing in the round of 32 for the third time in four seasons; they eliminated FC Kobenhavn in 2008/09, going on to reach the last eight, and beat Aris Thessaloniki FC last season before bowing out to FC Dynamo Kyiv in the last 16.

Roberto Mancini’s men have won only one of their last seven European away games, a 3-0 victory at Villarreal CF in this season’s UEFA Champions League group stage in a run of two draws and four defeats