Bayern Munich can take a step towards a fourth consecutive Champions League semi-final on Wednesday when they travel to Porto for the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Pep Guardiola's side are favourites to reach the last four of the competition, but Porto will be looking to halt the Bavarians' progress.

Porto

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Porto blitzed their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to a resounding 5-1 aggregate triumph over Basel in the last round.

Julen Lopetegui's side drew the first leg 1-1 in Switzerland before a 4-0 triumph on home soil saw them breeze into the last eight of the tournament.

However, their overall form has been patchy in recent weeks, winning just two of their last four matches in all competitions.

They currently sit three points adrift of leaders Benfica in the Primeira Liga table, though they are still in with a good chance of lifting the league trophy for a 28th time.

This is the first year that they have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2009. The last time that they went even further was when they won it under Jose Mourinho back in 2004.

They will be looking to Jackson Martinez to provide a threat to Bayern thanks to a return of 17 goals from the Colombian so far this season. Meanwhile, Yacine Brahimi, Ricardo Quaresma and Cristian Tello have also proved dangerous in the final third during the current campaign.

Recent form: WWWDDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDLWW

Bayern Munich

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With their domestic title all but wrapped up, Bayern will be fully focused on getting into the last four of the Champions League.

There were doubts over whether the Bavarians would secure their progress in the previous round after drawing the first leg 0-0 against Shakhtar Donestk, but a 7-0 mauling of the Ukrainians in the return fixture emphatically answered any questions.

Bayern are currently 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table thanks to eight victories from their previous nine matches. Their most recent triumph came at the weekend as they saw off Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 at the Allianz Arena.

They have always been a threat in front of goal, but it is in defence where Pep Guardiola's men have excelled in the past few weeks. The German champions have conceded just four times in their last nine games, and they will be eager to maintain that miserly outlook at the back against Porto.

They will also be buoyed by the fact that they have won six of their previous 10 away games in the competition, including a 7-0 thumping of Roma last season.

After losing 5-0 on aggregate to eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals during the 2013-14 campaign, Bayern will have their sights set on going one better this term. While their progress is far from secured, the five-time winners of the competition have to be among the favourites to lift the trophy once more.

Recent form: WWLWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW

Team News

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Bayern Munich have an eye-watering number of injury problems heading into the game, with six key first-team members likely to miss out.

David Alaba, Medhi Benatia, Javi Martinez, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger are all currently sidelined. However, Xabi Alonso is back after serving a ban.

Ivan Marcano misses out through suspension for the hosts, who could also be without Jackson Martinez and Cristian Tello due to groin and thigh problems respectively.

Porto possible starting lineup:
Fabiano; Danilo, Maicon, Martins Indi, Sandro; Casemiro, Brahimi, Evandro, Herrera; Tello, Martinez

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Rafinha, Alonso, Dante; Weiser, Lahm, Thiago Alcantara, Juan Bernat; Muller, Gotze, Lewandowski

Head To Head

The two sides have a rich history in the Champions League, meeting twice already in the quarter-finals alone. Bayern came through both of those clashes, but Porto secured a victory in arguably their most important encounter - the 1987 European Cup final.

We say: Porto 1-2 Bayern Munich

Despite suffering from a depleted squad, Bayern should have the necessary quality to earn themselves a first-leg win in Portugal. The visitors will not want to take their opponents lightly, but it is hard to look beyond the five-time winners on this occasion.

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