Tonight, Arsenal will be hosting Porto in the Champions League as they attempt to recover from their 1-0 loss in the first leg and advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years. The Gunners were shocked by Galeno’s last-minute goal at the Estadio do Dragao three weeks back, but they have been performing well in the Premier League and are optimistic about making a comeback against their Portuguese opponents.
Arteta is urging Arsenal supporters to make some noise following their victory over Brentford, which helped them reclaim the top spot in the Premier League. As they prepare for the return of Champions League competition at their home turf, Arsenal intends to utilize the enthusiastic atmosphere created by their fans. It has been seven years since the team last hosted a knockout Champions League game, and during the period between 2011 and 2017, they were eliminated in the last-16 stage every season.
Is it possible for them to alter the current record during the evening? Stay tuned for updates on the preparations, lineups, and happenings during the match in tonight’s blog and check out the most recent odds and suggestions here.
The score for the Arsenal vs. Porto match is 0-0, with Porto currently leading 1-0 on aggregate.
“In the first three minutes, there were a couple of sloppy fouls from both teams which have resulted in a disjointed beginning. Arsenal finally gains momentum when Saka makes a run towards the opponent’s penalty area, but he is met with a hard challenge from left-back Wendell. The tackle was strong, but he managed to get the ball and the referee, Clement Turpin, allows the game to continue.”
Trossard receives the ball on the left side and crosses it to Ben White, whose header lands on the roof of the goal.
It’s time to start! The match is between Arsenal and Porto.
Porto starts the game and Arsenal immediately applies pressure in an attempt to cause a mistake. They are successful as the ball is cleared and goes out of bounds, resulting in an Arsenal throw-in near the halfway line where Mikel Arteta is standing.
Arsenal v Porto
The ambiance is incredible in the northern part of London tonight. The musical piece “Zadok the Priest” blasts as the players take their positions, and we’re just seconds away from the start of the game.
Arsenal v Porto
The match is about to start in a few minutes. Will Arsenal be able to come back from behind?
Martin Odegaard prepares himself before the game begins.
When will the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals take place?
Both Arsenal and Porto are vying for a spot in Friday’s quarter-final draw alongside Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona will be hosting Napoli this evening following a 1-1 tie in Italy. Tomorrow, Inter will be journeying to Atletico Madrid in hopes of preserving their 1-0 lead, and Borussia Dortmund will welcome PSV after their initial 1-1 draw.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks ahead of kick-off
Mikel Arteta discussed ways to enhance their performance compared to the first leg, utilizing home support from the Emirates Stadium, and the impressive showing by Kai Havertz: “He required a period to settle in and some encouragement, but now things are falling into place.”
Is Havertz able to maintain his streak of scoring goals?
Kai Havertz is enjoying his best run of form since his big-money move from Chelsea this summer, with his late winner against Brentford on Saturday seeing him score for a fourth Premier League game in a row.
Afterwards, Arteta mentioned, “If someone had told me a few months ago that the entire stadium would be passionately singing his song with such chemistry and emotion, I would have found it difficult to believe.”
This is a common occurrence for individuals who are good-natured. He’s a remarkable athlete. As he begins to successfully score goals and his performance flows effortlessly, others feel a stronger connection with him.
His productivity, intelligence, and selfless playing style for the team are noticed and appreciated by others. It would be difficult not to admire him.
Declan Rice will enter the second leg in Porto with a yellow card.
Declan Rice is the only Arsenal player at risk of a suspension ahead of tonight’s match. The midfielder was booked early on in the first leg for a late challenge on Galeno and would be ruled out of the quarter-final first leg if he is booked and Arsenal make it through.
Porto line-up
The lineup chosen by Sergio Conceicao remains unchanged, as expected, with the eleven players who triumphed in the first match by a score of 1-0. Evanilson, who has scored 21 goals in 32 games, will start as the main striker. Galeno, the hero of the first leg, will once again play on the left wing.
Costa; Joao Mario, Pepe, Otavio, Wendell; Varela, Nico Gonzalez; Francisco Conceicao, Eduardo Pepe, Galeno; Evanilson.
Players: Claudio Ramos, Fabio Cardoso, Eustaquio, Grujic, Taremi, Sanchez, Jaime, Namaso, Romario Baro, Toni Martinez, Goncalo Borges, Ze Pedro.
Will Porto be able to disappoint Arsenal once more?
During the initial game in Porto, there were a total of 36 fouls, making it the highest amount in any Champions League game this season.
Galeno came through with a magnificent curling shot for the winning goal in the last minutes, however, Arsenal was lacking in skill and failed to gain any momentum during the game.
Porto didn’t care that the watch was not of good quality.
Later on, manager Sergio Conceicao stated: “While Arsenal was focused on playing, our goal was to secure a victory.”
Source: independent.co.uk
