Jose Mourinho makes an emotional return to his former club Porto this week in the Champions League with Chelsea, but this will not be the only thing that he should be wary about. The Premier League champions face a tricky task if they are to pick up all three points in this group phase encounter, with the Portuguese outfit a force to be reckoned with, especially since they progressed further than the West London side in last season’s competition.
One man that the Blues will need to keep an eye on is Algerian forward Yacine Brahimi. The 25-year-old made the move from Granada last summer and has not disappointed the home crowd. During the 2014/15 campaign, he scored five goals in 11 UEFA Champions League appearances. In addition to this, he also found the net on seven occasions in the Portuguese domestic league; rather impressive for a player who is not a striker.
Brahimi will likely start on the left wing, with Aboubakar starting up top. The international is renowned for his dribbling and quick feet, so Branislav Ivanovic will be torn apart if he performs as woeful as he has for the majority of the Stamford Bridge side’s season so far. Brahimi also likes to cut inside, and his sweet left foot often leaves defenders trailing. Furthermore, you wouldn’t want to gift Porto a set-piece on the edge of the penalty area as he would most likely drill it into the back of the net.
Chelsea will need to be on full alert for the whole ninety minutes, as Brahimi can change the gears of his pace within a split second. He showed this on several occasions against Bayern Munich last season, where Porto then went on to win the home leg of the quarter-final 3-1. Emotions will be running high, so full concentration will be needed to keep Brahimi on his toes.
At the World Cup last summer in Brazil, Brahimi showed that he is not one to shy away in the big games. He helped Algeria to the knockout stages for the first time in their history, recording goals and assists along the way, only to be eliminated by eventual champions Germany. So, if Chelsea are to triumph, they will have to have a game plan to stop Yacine Brahimi.
