Liverpool vs. Porto Betting Preview: Lopsided Action on Reds in First Leg of Champions League Quarterfinal

Porto and Liverpool will meet in a Champions League knockout round for the second straight season. The Reds rolled to a 5-0 aggregate win in last year's Round of 16 on their way to a trip to the final, where they ultimately lost to Real Madrid, 3-1.

Liverpool are aiming to reach their fifth Champions League semifinal since 2004-05 while Porto will try for their first semifinal since hoisting the trophy in 2003-04.

Both clubs are locked in similar battles for domestic league titles and they've conceded the same number of goals on average (0.61 per match) in league play.

Liverpool-Porto Betting Odds

Liverpool are huge favorites to win the opening home leg at Anfield and could put this matchup out of reach heading into the return leg in Portugal on Wednesday, April 17.

As of writing, the market lists Liverpool as -470 favorites to advance to the semifinal while Porto can be found at +380 to pull off the upset.

Injuries and Suspensions

Liverpool: D Andrew Robertson (out), M Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (doubtful), D Joe Gomez (doubtful)

Porto: D Alex Telles (questionable), D Pepe (out), F Vincent Aboubakar (out), M Héctor Herrera (out)

Betting Market Breakdown

If anyone is willing to bet Porto in the opening leg, sportsbooks will gladly take some action. More than 80% of the wagers have come in on Liverpool to earn the victory as of writing (see live data here), lifting the Reds' already lofty odds from -310 to -330.

Porto are being offered as high as 10-1 odds with the draw coming in at nearly 5-1. Those moneylines have accounted for just 17% of bets, and an even lower percentage is on Porto to cover the goal-line of +1.5.

Whether it's straight-up, goal-line or parlay, the liability is on Liverpool across the board.

Porto will obviously be looking for a positive result, but scoring a goal at some point is the ultimate hope to bring back into the second leg. Porto scored in all but three road games this season, losing just twice along the way (at AS Roma in Champions League and Benfica in Primeira Liga).

Liverpool's only two home losses have come in cup competitions — in FA Cup to West Brom and League Cup to Chelsea — so Porto will have its work cut out at Anfield.

I've had no success fading Liverpool in any capacity this season, so I'll be laying off here — although I will be looking at a live bet on Porto to score if it looks capable.

Champions League Title Odds