Porto take on the visitors Rangers in the round 8 match of UEFA Europa League – League Phase. The match will be played on Thursday, January 29th at Estádio do Dragão (Porto).
Porto have, in recent years, slipped from being the most successful club in the country to a clear third force, finishing behind both Sporting and Benfica, as was the case in the previous Primeira Liga campaign. This season, however, they are leading the table, and that is largely credited to the work of the new head coach, Farioli. There have been setbacks, mainly in cup competitions, but overall the progress is obvious. In the Europa League, results have been solid as well. They opened the group stage with two wins, then suffered a dip in the second half of autumn, losing to Nottingham Forest and drawing with Utrecht. After that, two more victories virtually secured an early place in the playoffs. Last Thursday in Plzeň against Viktoria, Porto conceded an early goal and only rescued a 1–1 draw in the 90th minute. Even so, their recent form shows resilience and consistency. At home, Porto usually control matches and rarely allow opponents to dictate the tempo.
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Rangers may still save their season, but not in Europe. The Light Blues, after yet another second-place finish in the Premiership, appointed Russell Martin in the summer. That move failed completely, as they did not record a single league win and also exited the Champions League qualifiers. His replacement, Röl, managed to correct much of the damage. Of course, that was helped by a severe crisis at the main favorite, Celtic, whom Rangers managed to catch up with by mid-winter, although now they still have to overtake the surprise leaders, Hearts. In such circumstances, European competitions are clearly not a priority, especially since things have not gone well there. The Scots managed to pick up just one draw, at home against Braga, while losing all other matches, meaning they entered 2026 with no chance of reaching the playoffs. In the previous round against Ludogorets, everything was decided by a single goal scored after the first half hour. Recent performances underline that their focus is firmly domestic. Away from home in Europe, Rangers have struggled to stay competitive for long stretches.
The clubs met in 2005 in the Champions League and fourteen years later in the Europa League. Both times the pattern was the same: the Scots won at home, while the matches at the Dragão ended in 1–1 draws. Another home success for Porto looks very likely. However, it is unlikely to be a high-scoring contest, so the best option is under 3.0 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Under 3.0 scored goals.
