Crimson-hot Arsenal head to Porto on Wednesday for the primary leg of their UEFA Champions League spherical of 16 tie, and expectation ranges are rising round this younger Gunners facet.
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Arsenal have received 5 Premier League video games in a row to start out 2024, scoring 21 objectives and conceding simply twice within the course of. That has led to Mikel Arteta pulling himself again into the title race and proper now they’ve the momentum heading into an important stage of the season. However this week the main target is on progressing into the Champions League as their first knockout spherical match within the competitors in 2016-17 might be a giant second for a lot of of those younger gamers. It is a new expertise for the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli and will probably be intriguing to see how Arsenal deal with the strain of being heavy favorites to succeed in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
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Porto are massive disappointments as Sergio Conceicao's facet are struggling in third place in Portugal's prime flight (they’re seven factors behind leaders Benfica) and Brazilian striker Evanilson is their predominant hope of getting one thing out of the primary leg. Evanilson has scored 50 objectives in all competitions over the previous three seasons, however scoring objectives has been a significant downside this season for this younger Porto facet. They completed second of their group behind Barcelona and received 4 out of six matches, with their solely defeats coming by a single objective in opposition to Barca. The Estadio do Dragao has helped Porto overcome many upsets over time and with completely nothing to lose, Porto will go for it. Having an skilled chief like Pepe, who turns 41 subsequent week, at centre-back may assist the Portuguese giants keep in that tie forward of the second leg in London at the beginning of March.
The best way to watch Porto vs Arsenal stay stream hyperlink and begin time
You begin: three p.m. ET, Wednesday (February 21)
The best way to observe: Paramount+ and STUDY ONE
Arsenal focus, staff information
With the accidents not clear for Arsenal, it’s doubtless that Arteta will discipline the identical line-up he used of their massive wins at West Ham and Burnley over the previous two weekends. With Gabriel Jesus injured, the duo of Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz seized their likelihood as they broke into house and switched expertly as Arsenal's attacking machine related mercilessly. Saka is in fantastic kind, with Odegaard and Rice additionally controlling the midfield of their sleep. Defensively, the Gunners might be examined way more by Porto than they’ve been in current weeks and it is a massive take a look at for David Raya.
OUT: Jurrien Timber (Torn ACL) | Uncertain: Gabriel Jesus (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), Takehiro Tomiyasu (undisclosed), Thomas Partey (thigh), Fabio Vieira (groin)
Porto focus, staff information
Porto will look to attacking duo Evanilson and Galeno to benefit from any likelihood Arsenal present on the counter. Additionally they have Portugal's beginning goalkeeper Diogo Costa and Pepe in entrance of them, in order that they have the potential to take a seat deep, defend and take in strain. Porto have misplaced proficient Nigerian defender Zaidu to damage which is a giant blow.