PORTO, Portugal — Porto’s high-scoring attack could be missing its biggest weapon for the match against Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Cameroon forward Vincent Aboubakar didn’t practise with the rest of the squad on Tuesday because of a lingering muscle injury and remains doubtful for Wednesday’s first leg at Estadio do Dragao.
He hasn’t played in the last two matches for the Portuguese league leader, missing the derby against Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese Cup and the league match at Chaves.
The 26-year-old Aboubakar has been in top form this season, scoring 20 goals in 28 matches.
He netted five of the team’s 15 goals in the group stage of the Champions League. Aboubakar and forward Moussa Marega have combined to score more than half of Porto’s 53 goals in the Portuguese league.
Yacine Brahimi is the other forward helping Porto thrive offensively this season. The team is unbeaten in its last 23 matches in all competitions, and only lost once at home — 3-1 against Besiktas in the group stage of the Champions League.
Porto has never beaten Liverpool in four previous attempts. It is playing in the last 16 of the European competition for the second season in a row, and is trying to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014-15.
Five-time European champion Liverpool, looking to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008-09, scored 23 goals in the group stage, but that was before it lost playmaker Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
Other Porto players nursing injuries include Marcano, Danilo and Andre Andre.
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