Porto vs Rangers

The league phase of the UEFA Europa League concludes tonight, Thursday, January 29, 2026, with a high-stakes encounter at the Estádio do Dragão. FC Porto welcomes Rangers in a match where the hosts are fighting for a direct path to the Round of 16, while the visitors play for pride. Kick-off is set for 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 20:00 local).

Porto enters the final matchday in 9th place (14 points), sitting just outside the automatic qualification spots on goal difference. A victory tonight is likely enough to see them leapfrog teams like Real Betis or Ferencváros into the top eight. Rangers, despite a recent domestic resurgence, sit in 32nd place (4 points) and have already been mathematically eliminated from the competition.

Match Information

FC Porto: The Top-Eight Target

Francesco Farioli has transformed Porto into a model of consistency this season. The Dragons are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions. However, they arrive following a frustrating 1–1 draw against Viktoria Plzeň, where they failed to capitalize on a man advantage for the entire second half. At home, they are perfect in the league phase (3 wins from 3).

Team News and Selection:

• Injury Concerns: Porto will be without Luuk de Jong and Nehuén Pérez, who both remain sidelined with muscle injuries.

• Ineligible: Legendary defender Thiago Silva, a January addition, is not registered for this phase of the competition.

• The "Samu" Factor: Samuel Aghehowa (Samu) continues to be the primary threat, having scored 10 goals in his last 10 outings.

• Predicted XI (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Martim Fernandes, Bednarek, Kiwior, Alberto Costa; Alan Varela, Gabri Veiga, Froholdt; Pepê, Samu, Borja Sainz.

Rangers: The "Röhl" Revolution

Under the guidance of Danny Röhl, who took over in October, Rangers have become a different beast domestically, currently riding an 8-game winning streak that includes a 3–1 Old Firm victory over Celtic. While their European campaign is over, Röhl has emphasized the importance of maintaining their winning momentum ahead of the Scottish title race.

Team News and Selection:

• Depleted Defense: Rangers are missing several key defenders, including John Souttar, Derek Cornelius, and Dujon Sterling.

• Midfield & Attack: Connor Barron and Nedim Bajrami are also out. Striker Danilo did not travel for personal reasons (the birth of his child).

• Unregistered Stars: January signings Andreas Skov Olsen and Tochi Chukwuani are ineligible for the Europa League.

• Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Butland; Tavernier, Djiga, Fernandez, Meghoma; Raskin, Diomande; Gassama, Aasgaard, Moore; Miovski.

? Head-to-Head (H2H) and Historical Stats

• Historical Edge: Surprisingly, Porto has won only one of their six previous major European meetings with Rangers (D2, L3).

• Dragão Dominance: Porto is looking to record four successive home wins in major European competition for the first time since 2018/19.

• The Underperformance: Rangers have the biggest negative difference between expected goals (9.2 xG) and goals scored (4) in the competition this season (-5.2).

• Discipline: Porto has picked up 22 yellow cards so far, the second-most in the league phase behind Fenerbahçe.

Tactical Analysis and Prediction

Porto will look to suffocate Rangers with Farioli’s high-possession system, utilizing the width of Pepê and Borja Sainz to stretch a makeshift Rangers backline. For Rangers, the strategy will be built on defensive organization and the creative spark of Thelo Aasgaard, who has three goal involvements in his last four matches.

Given the stakes—Porto playing for a bye into the Round of 16 while Rangers are playing for pride—the Portuguese giants should have too much motivation and quality for the injury-hit Scots.

Final Score Prediction: FC Porto 2–0 Rangers