Seville’s La Cartuja will host a first European meeting between Real Betis and Porto on Wednesday, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side aiming to turn a strong domestic run into a second Champions League victory of the campaign.
The news from the club
Betis arrive in the second round of league-phase fixtures after a 5-2 win over Osasuna, their latest result in a productive sequence. The Andalusians have also beaten Lille 3-2, Villarreal 2-1 and Getafe 1-0 in their previous five official matches, with a 1-1 draw against Deportivo da Coruña the only game they did not win.
Their recent European record gives them further encouragement. Betis have lost only three of their past 13 continental fixtures, recording seven wins and three draws, and have won eight of their last 11 UEFA league-phase matches.
This is only the club’s second appearance in Europe’s leading competition. Their previous Champions League campaign came in 2005/06, when they finished third in a group containing Liverpool and Chelsea. Last season, Betis reached the Europa League quarter-finals before Sporting Braga eliminated them 5-3 on aggregate.
Porto travel south from Portugal needing a response after Manchester City won 2-0 in their opening European match. Francesco Farioli’s team had carried impressive domestic momentum into that fixture, having defeated Benfica 3-1, Casa Pia 4-1, Marítimo 2-1 and Moreirense 2-1 in recent league outings.
The Portuguese club bring substantial Champions League experience. This is described as Porto’s 28th season in the competition, while UEFA’s historical participation ranking lists 27 European Cup and Champions League seasons including 2026/27. They stand joint 11th for appearances by season, alongside Benfica and Olympiacos.
In total matches played, Porto rank eighth in the competition’s history with 278 games. Only Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Benfica, Manchester United and Milan have played more.
Porto have reached the round of 16 in eight of their past 10 group-stage or league-phase campaigns, but their more recent record against Spanish opposition is less favourable. They have lost four of their last five matches against LaLiga clubs. Their sole victory from their last five visits to Spain was a 2-0 Champions League success against Athletic Club in 2014/15.
Wednesday in Seville
The meeting at La Cartuja is the first between Betis and Porto in European competition. Betis will seek to use their home setting and current form to make it two Champions League wins in succession, while Porto are looking to recover the ground lost on the opening night against Manchester City.
