Arsenal vs Porto

Emirates Stadium sets the stage for a crunch Champions League last-16 tie between Arsenal and Porto. After a 1-0 first-leg loss, the Premier League pacesetters will be out to turn this contest on its head.

Arsenal will take the field in high spirits after a 2-1 home win against Brentford last weekend saw them move to the top of the Premier League, one point clear of Liverpool and Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s high-flyers now switch their attention to overturning a narrow deficit in this last-16 tie, looking to defy an unwanted piece of history. Indeed, the Gunners have suffered elimination in nine of their last ten UEFA knockout ties after losing the first leg. But the only exception was against Porto in 2009/10, inspiring confidence among home supporters that Arsenal could reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2009/10. The hosts have been relentless in their Champions League home games this season, winning all three via a combined score of 12-0.

Meanwhile, visiting Porto have lost their last three visits to North London via multiple-goal margins and without a reply, including a 5-0 demolition in their most recent H2H here. However, Sergio Conceicao’s side will hope to avoid that fate this time after beating Primeira Liga rivals Portimonense 3-0 last weekend to extend their unbeaten streak across all competitions to six matches (W5, D1). Four clean sheets during that stretch increase the likelihood of Porto’s first progression into the Champions League quarter-finals since 2020/21. However, there’s a major obstacle the Dragons must overcome to crash Arsenal out of the competition, having never won a European fixture on English soil before (D3, L18). Such a dreadful record has led to Porto’s elimination from their last seven knockout ties against English opposition.