Porto welcome Besiktas on Tuesday night knowing that a point will be enough to see them through to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Just two points separate the Portuguese side, who top Group A, and Besiktas at the foot of the table, with one round of matches remaining.
The Turkish side must win to progress, and coach Ertugrul Saglam knows that his troops will carry the expectations of a nation on their shoulders when they turn out at the Estadio do Dragao.
Saglam said: ``Our total focus is now on the Porto game, which is important both for us and Turkish football. Our aim is to write a new page in the club's history.''
For both clubs the permutations are relatively straightforward despite the fact that any of the four teams in Group A could still qualify.
If Porto lose, they cannot qualify for the knockout phase, while Besiktas will not qualify should they fail to win.
However, Porto could still qualify for the UEFA Cup if they lose and the other Group A game between Marseille and Liverpool produces a winner.
A draw in France combined with a defeat for Porto would send the Dragons out of Europe, while Besiktas cannot finish third due to inferior head-to-head records with Liverpool and Marseille and therefore must take all three points to continue their European campaign.
``We cannot think about enjoying this victory. We want to beat Porto in Portugal and advance to the next round,'' said Saglam after watching his side win 1-0 at Bursaspor at the weekend. ``My players can do it,'' he added.
Gokhan Zan, Lamine Diatta (both foot), Serdar Kurtulus (hamstring), Mehmet Yozgatly (hip), Ibrahim Kap (calf) and Ricardinho (broken wrist) all missed the Bursaspor victory through injury and are unlikely to be fit for Tuesday's game.
Porto, who opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the Portuguese league with a 1-0 win against Benfica last week, will fancy their chances as they have not been beaten at home in the Champions League since a 3-2 defeat to Artmedia over two years ago.
Coach Jesualdo Ferreira said: ``I'm confident Porto will complete the job to finish in first place in the group and proceed in the Champions League.''
A win will ensure Porto progress as group winners, while a point will be enough to see them top the standings if Marseille and Liverpool draw.
Defender Milan Stepanov and midfielder Ernesto Farias are both injured for Porto.
Ferreira was able to rest most of his first team for the recent 2-0 win over third division side Chaves in the Portuguese Cup.
Fringe players Helder Postiga and Adriano scored the goals but neither striker is likely to feature in the starting XI against the Istanbul-based side.
Source:PA
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