BRAZILIAN striker Mario Jardel is likely to start Porto's European Champions' League group D match against AC Milan tonight after scoring two goals in the upset 3-2 win in Milan.
"They are strong but we are the favourites," said Jordel, who came on for the second half of the first match.
Porto, unbeaten so far in the qualifying group, need only draw against the five times European champions to ensure top place.
AC Milan were strengthened by the return of captain Franco Baresi and forced a 0-0 draw against reigning European champions Juventus in a Serie A clash in Turin on Sunday. Baresi is expected to line up against Porto, with in-form Roberto Baggio also likely to start in attack alongside Liberian George Weah.
Depleted by injury, the four times champions, Ajax Amsterdam, hope they can limp through their group A match against French title-holders Auxerre and take at least the one point that will guarantee a quarter-final berth.
As their league form goes from bad to worse, extinguishing any realistic hope of a 27th domestic title, Ajax are left chasing a third consecutive European Cup final.
Buoyed by back-to-back wins against Europe's whipping boys Glasgow Rangers, the Dutch champions will take heart from a convincing 1-0 win in Auxerre in September but will not want to dwell on a home defeat by Grasshopper Zurich, their main rivals to head group A.
While internationals Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert have recently returned after lengthy lay-offs, Richard Witschge, Peter Hoekstra and Jari Litman are all injured.
Most important, skipper Danny Blind, a mainstay at the heart of the defence, is sidelined until the New Year.
Winless, pointless and generally ridiculed after four successive defeats in this season's ordeal, Glasgow Rangers' manager, Walter Smith, has to undergo another session with the demons when Grasshopper of Zurich visit Ibrox tonight.
Ally McCoist seems certain to start in a Rangers team which will be without the suspended Paul Gascoigne. Grasshopper, for whom victory would mean qualification for the quarter-finals they could even lose and go through will be without the influential midfielder Mural Yakin.
