Preview: Arsenal vs Porto – stats, team news, line-ups
Arsenal stand on the precipice of yet another early Champions League exit, a fate they desperately aim to avoid as they host Porto at the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s men return to home soil with a 1-0 deficit to overturn, a sting left by Wenderson Galeno’s dramatic late winner in Portugal.
The first leg was a tale of two halves, but the Gunners seemed destined to return to north London with a valuable away draw, only to be undone in the dying moments.
They will undoubtedly feel they have a score to settle, setting the stage for a potentially pulsating evening of continental football, so remember to head over to seatsnet.com to purchase tickets for the game.
Arsenal entered the first leg in red-hot form, hitting capital rivals West Ham United for six and putting five past relegation-bound Burnley before travelling to face Porto.
The Portuguese team had conceded five to Barcelona in their final Champions League group stage match.
However, it was Arsenal who played into their hands with Arteta’s men conceding needless fouls, gifting Porto possession and ultimately, the chance for Galeno’s wonder strike.
An uncharacteristically toothless Arsenal departed the Estadio do Dragao without managing a single shot on target, matching an unwanted Champions League record previously set in 2011.
However, their return to north London wasn’t all doom and gloom.
They responded brilliantly in the Premier League, securing three consecutive wins to claim top spot after title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool settled for a share of the spoils in Sunday’s clash of the titans.
Arteta’s men exerted revenge against Newcastle United, swatting aside the Magpies 4-1 at the Emirates before smashing six past basement club Sheffield United.
While they were made to fight for maximum points in the crucial 2-1 victory over Brentford, thanks to an 86th-minute header from Kai Havertz, three wins on the trot is the ideal preparation for an important European showdown in north London.
Only once in their past ten attempts have Arsenal managed to progress in the Champions League after losing the first leg.
Ironically, that triumph came against Porto in the 2009/10 campaign, which also marks the last time the north London giants reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club tournament.
After snatching a win in the reverse encounter, Porto arrives in North London with a swagger, seeking to avoid a nightmarish repeat of past failures against English opposition.
After a morale-boosting 5-0 thrashing of reigning Primeira Liga champions Benfica and a comfortable 3-0 victory over Portimonense, Sergio Conceicao’s men are brimming with confidence.
However, a shadow hangs over the Portuguese giants. Not since the 2012/13 season have Porto been eliminated from a Champions League last-16 tie after winning the first leg, but their record against Arsenal suggests they can’t afford to rest on their laurels.
Adding to their woes, their record in England is abysmal, having gone 22 consecutive games without a win – their only victory against a Premier League team came in a neutral venue (against Chelsea in Seville, 2021).
The Emirates holds even more painful memories for Porto. Losing 2-1 at home in the first leg of the 2009/10 last-16 tie, they were then dismantled 5-0 in the away fixture, with a young Nicklas Bendtner scoring a hat-trick for Arsenal.
They have also fallen to defeat in each of their last three visits to the Emirates without scoring a goal – a record they need to rewrite if they are to avoid another heartbreak in north London.
Match Preview
Arsenal’s return to the Champions League knockout stages is a cause for celebration, but historical headwinds threaten to disrupt their march towards the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
The Gunners hold the unenviable record for most round-of-16 exits in the Champions League (9), with Tuesday’s opponents Porto (also 9) and record holders Real Madrid (8) hot on their heels.
Even more concerning is their recent form, having been eliminated in the round of 16 a staggering seven times in a row.
The Emirates hasn’t exactly been a fortress in the knockout stages, with the Gunners losing their last five home games in this round of the competition, a statistic that will certainly test their confidence against Porto.
They had only lost two of their previous 17 such matches in the tournament (W10, D5). However, their record against Porto offers a glimmer of hope.
Arsenal boast a perfect record against the Portuguese giants at home, winning all three encounters with a commanding aggregate score of 11-0, including a 5-0 win back in 2010.
Furthermore, Arsenal are yet to concede a goal in their three Champions League home games this season (W3), boasting a perfect record with a 12-0 aggregate score.
They’ve never won four in a row at home without conceding in the competition.
Porto’s record in England is nothing short of abysmal. Across 23 European fixtures, they’ve managed just one win – a solitary 1-0 victory over Chelsea, curiously played in Seville, Spain, back in 2021.
That sole success is overshadowed by a staggering 19 defeats (D3) on English turf.
While their first-leg victory over Arsenal gives cause for optimism, their Champions League knockout stage record with a first-leg lead is inconsistent.
They’ve progressed from three of six such ties but failed to convert the advantage on the other three occasions. Notably, they’ve never managed to win both legs of a knockout tie in the competition before.
Interestingly, both of Porto’s away victories in the Champions League knockout stages have come in Spain – against Deportivo La Coruna in the 2003/04 semi-finals and the aforementioned Chelsea win in the 2020/21 quarter-final.
Team News & Potential Line-ups
David Raya is poised to reclaim his starting spot between the sticks for Arsenal when they take on Porto.
The Spanish stopper was ineligible to face his parent club, Brentford, on Saturday due to loan agreement restrictions.
Aaron Ramsdale’s performance in Raya’s absence provided a mixed bag. While the England international pulled off some impressive saves, he wasn’t entirely blameless in some situations.
Gabriel Martinelli is expected to miss the crunch encounter after appearing to leave the Emirates on Saturday wearing a protective boot. He will join Takehiro Tomiyasu on the sidelines.
Positive news for the visitors as Mehdi Taremi is expected to be fit and ready to start after missing the first leg. Additionally, Wendell has recovered from a thigh issue and could feature.
Arsenal potential starting line-up
(4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus.
Porto potential starting line-up
(4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Joao Mario, Pepe, Otavio, Wendell; Alan Varela, Nico Gonzalez; Francisco Conceicao, Pepe, Wenderson Galeno; Evanilson.
