We have reached the second legs of the Champions League round of 16 and our preview looks towards a potentially tricky evening for the visitors.
The game between Arsenal and FC Porto will be played on the 12th of March at the Emirates Stadium, London.
The hosts are currently top of the Premier League on 64 points and the visitors are in 3rd place in the Primeira Liga on 55 points.
Arsenal come into the match on the back of a 2-1 home victory over Brentford in the Premier League on the weekend.
Último treino antes do #AFCFCP ⚽Em modo @championsleague ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/qf982UzK7x— FC Porto (@FCPorto) March 11, 2024
Último treino antes do #AFCFCP ⚽Em modo @championsleague ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/qf982UzK7x
It was the Gunners who took the lead in the 19th minute but Brentford equalised on the stroke of half time. Into the second half and Arsenal were beginning to get frustrated but scored the winning goal in the 86th minute.
The victory over Brentford means Arsenal have won 8 of their 9 most recent fixtures in all competitions. There have been wins over Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Newcastle United at home plus Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Burnley, and Sheffield United away in the Premier League.
The only defeat came in the first leg of this Champions League tie and Arsenal lost 1-0.
Trend show Arsenal have won each of their last 3 home matches in the Champions League. They have kept a clean sheet in each of those 3 games and Arsenal have achieved 3 home wins by 2 or more goals against FC Porto in the Champions League.
FC Porto travel to London having beat Portimonense 3-0 away in the Primeira Liga on the weekend.
It took just 7 minutes for FC Porto to open the scoring and they led 1-0 at half time. Into the second half and FC Porto doubled their advantage in the 59th minute and sealed the points with a third goal 20 minutes later.
The win at Portimonense means FC Porto are undefeated in their 6 most recent fixtures in all competitions. There have been wins over Estrela and Benfica at home in the Primeira Liga, Santa Clara away in the Taca de Portugal, and Arsenal at home in the Champions League.
The stats show FC Porto have won 3 of their last 4 games against Arsenal but all 3 victories came at home.
FC Porto have struggled when playing Arsenal away, losing each of their last 3 visits to the Emirates Stadium and failing to score a goal.
Team news and Arsenal have doubts over the fitness of Gabriel Martinelli and David Raya. Jurrien Timber is unavailable due to a knee injury.
FC Porto have four players on the treatment table, with Zaidu Sanusi, Mehdi Taremi, Ivan Marcano, and Gabriel Veron unavailable.
Both teams are in good form and FC Porto will be feeling confident following their 1-0 win in the first leg.
However, their record when playing at Arsenal is poor and we expect the hosts to come out on top, keeping a clean sheet, and overturning the 1-0 deficit to progress.