| | BERLIN -- Porto, eager to bounce after two consecutive setbacks, need at least a draw at Hertha Berlin on Tuesday to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Only pride will be at stake for the Berlin club, which has already lost all hope of advancing to the final eight in its
first participation to Europe's showcase club competition.
Porto is determined to use the Hertha game to recover momentum after back-to-back disappointments in the Champions League and the Portuguese title race.
The former European champions should have made sure their
European adventure would continue last week against Sparta
Prague.
But they squandered a 2-0 lead, letting the Czechs fight
back to draw with two goals in the final 25 minutes. They stayed
second in Group A, six points behind runaway leaders Barceolona
and two ahead of Sparta. Hertha is last with two points.
But as long as Porto get a draw in Berlin, it will reach
the last eight, because even if both Porto and Sparta finish
with eight points, Porto will finish second as it has the
better head-to-head record against the Czech team.
On Saturday, Porto suffered the double blow of being
comprehensively beaten 2-0 at Sporting Lisbon in a
top-of-the-table clash and losing the league leadership to its
ancient rivals, now one point clear in first place.
Nevertheless, Porto's combative chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da
Costa was confident his team would deliver the goods against
Hertha.
"I believe in a good a result and our qualifying for the
quarterfinals," he said.
Porto has no injury problems and will be able to recall
veteran central defender Aloisio Alves, who was suspended for the
Sparta Prague game.
Hertha, seventh in the Bundesliga standings after drawing
1-1 with leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday, impressed in its first Champions League campaign.
"Advancing to the second phase was a great satisfaction,"
said commercial manager Dieter Hoeness. "We came to learn and
did really well. We'll be back."
Midfielders Michael Hartmann and Andreas Neuendorff will
both miss Tuesday's match through suspension.
Sebastian Deisler is fit again after sitting out of last
week's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona with injury. The gifted young
midfielder should start on the bench.
Coach Juergen Roeber is expected to leave out Germany
defender Marko Rehmer, hampered by a sore heel.
Probable teams:
Hertha Berlin: 1-Gabor Kiraly; 2-Hendrik Herzog, 4-Dick van
Burik, 6-Eyjolfur Sverrisson, 17-Anthony Sanneh, 19-Andreas
Schmidt, 8-Dariusz Wosz, 24-Kai Michalke, 15-Bryan Roy,
11-Michael Preetz, 22-Alex Alves.
Porto: 99-Vitor Baia; 7-Carlos Secretario, 30-Jose
Esquerdinha, 29-Deco Sousa, 2-Jorge Costa, 4-Aloisio Alves,
18-Carlos Chainho, 11-Ljubimko Drulovic, 12-Nuno Capucho,
16-Mario Jardel, 9-Domingos Oliveira.
Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy)
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