FC Basel vs. FC Porto preview, Champions League 2015: Close encounter anticipated

Basel’s tie with Porto (2:45 p.m. ET, FOX Deportes) may not be as eye-catching as some of the other Champions League round of 16 fixtures, though that doesn’t mean that it isn’t intriguing in its unpredictability. What’s more, both of these sides are young and talented, and though they’re not going to win the thing, their excellent performances in the first round will give them both confidence of making a deep run in this tournament.

While Basel managed to sneak through a group containing both Liverpool and Real Madrid, Porto didn’t lose a single game on their way to the knockout stages. The Portuguese side certainly boast more star names and head into this tie as favorites, though Basel’s slick passing game impressed in the first round, and could prove difficult to stop.

Basel’s biggest absentee will be Swiss international center-back Fabian Schär, who will miss this one through suspension. They’ll also be without versatile left-sided player Adama Traoré, who sustained a thigh injury shortly after joining from Vitória de Guimarães last month, and center-back Ivan Ivanov, who has been out for more than a year with a knee problem.

Porto named a 20-man squad ahead of the match, with none of their first choice players excluded. Adrian Lopez, Diego Reyes, Ricardo Pereira and Jose Campaña were the players left out.

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Basel (4-2-3-1): Tomáš Vaclík; Behrang Safari, Marek Suchý, Walter Samuel, Philipp Degen; Mohamed Elneny, Taulant Xhaka; Shkëlzen Gashi, Luca Zuffi, Derlis González; Marco Streller.

Porto (4-2-3-1): Fabiano; Alex Sandro, Martins Indi, Maicon, Danilo; Óliver Torres, Casemiro, Héctor Herrera; Cristian Tello, Jackson Martínez, Ricardo Quaresma.

Jackson Martínez vs. the Basel defence - Jackson Martínez is undoubtedly Porto’s star player, with the Colombian striker having netted a remarkable 24 goals in 29 games in all competitions so far this season. He’s a brilliant all-round forward, and has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League of late. If Basel want to stand any chance of winning this tie, they’re going to have to keep him quiet.

Luca Zuffi vs. Casemiro - One of the standout players in Basel’s impressive group stage performances was playmaking midfielder Luca Zuffi, whose crisp passing was instrumental in creating their chances. Porto’s deepest midfielder, Real Madrid loanee Casemiro, will have to stay tight to Zuffi if he’s to stop attackers Marco Streller and Shkëlzen Gashi receiving the ball in dangerous areas.

Shkëlzen Gashi vs. Danilo - Though Streller is Basel’s big center-forward, it’s Gashi who is their biggest goalscoring threat. The Albanian winger is the top scorer in the Swiss Super League, having terrorized defenses by drifting into pockets of space from the left and taking advantage his brilliant finishing ability. He’ll be up against attack-minded right-back Danilo, who he’ll no doubt hope to keep pinned back in Porto’s half.

Porto are probably the better of these two teams, though home advantage and Basel’s excellent organization under Paulo Sousa means that this game should be pretty evenly balanced. 1-1.