Arsenal travel to Porto for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday as they bid to make the quarter-finals for the first time since 2009-10.
The Gunners topped their group on their return to the competition after a six-year absence and face the 30-time Portuguese champions for a place in the last eight.
While Mikel Arteta’s side are also fighting for the Premier League title, Porto are third in Portugal’s Primera Liga, seven points off the top.
Sergio Conceicao’s team qualified second in Group H, losing out to Barcelona for top spot on head-to-head results.
“We don’t have the experience, that’s the reality – 95% of these players haven’t played this competition, they haven’t played the last 16,” Arteta said.
“I haven’t [managed at this stage]. But they have so much energy and enthusiasm to play well and that’s our desire and how we’re going to play the game.
“It’s great. We have earned the right to be here. It’s been seven years since we’ve been at the top table for these kind of matches and 14 years since we were able to go to the next stage.
“That’s the challenge. We know what is ahead of us, but we are very excited to face it and to go for it with full belief, that’s for sure.”
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has returned to training after four months out with a thigh injury, while Fabio Vieira is nearing a comeback after having groin surgery in November.
Gabriel Jesus (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (niggle) remain doubtful after missing Saturday’s 5-0 win at Burnley.
Porto could be without Mehdi Taremi after the club confirmed the Iran striker was struggling with a thigh injury sustained in training on Sunday.
The Portuguese side are already missing Nigeria full-back Zaidu Sanusi, who is out for the season with a knee injury, with centre-back Ivan Marcano another long-term absentee.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Arsenal have won all three of their home Champions League games against Porto by an aggregate score of 11-0, but are winless in all three away games (D1 L2).
- The last time Arsenal got past the last 16 in the Champions League, they did so by beating Porto 6-2 on aggregate in the 2009-10 campaign, Nicklas Bendtner scoring a hat-trick at Emirates Stadium.
Porto
- Porto have been eliminated from seven of their eight Champions League knockout ties against English opposition, with the exception being a last-16 victory over Manchester United en route to winning the trophy in 2003-04.
- Each of the past five teams to eliminate Porto from the Champions League in the knockout rounds of the competition has gone on to reach the final that season – Juventus in 2016-17 (last 16), Liverpool in 2017-18 (last 16) and 2018-19 (quarter-final), Chelsea in 2020-21 (quarter-final) and Inter Milan last season (last 16).
- Porto have scored seven goals in their past two Champions League home games, as many as they had in their previous nine home matches in the competition combined.
Arsenal
- Since the last 16 was introduced in the Champions League in 2003-04, Arsenal have gone out at this stage more than any other side (9), including in each of their past seven appearances in the competition between 2010-11 and 2016-17. With eight last-16 eliminations, Porto are joint-second in this regard.
- Arsenal have scored more first-half goals than any other side in the Champions League this season, with 12 of their 16 strikes coming before half-time. The Gunners have scored in the opening 45 minutes in each of their past 13 Champions League games, the longest such run in European Cup history.
- In this year’s Champions League group stage, only Manchester City (91%) and Real Madrid (89%) had a higher pass completion rate under pressure than Arsenal (86%).
- In a run stretching back to November 2018 with Manchester City, Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus has been involved in 20 goals in his past 18 Champions League starts (15 goals, 5 assists). He has been involved in six goals in four starts for the Gunners so far this term (4 goals, 2 assists).
- No player has been involved in more Champions League goals this season than Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (3 goals, 4 assists), with the young Englishman averaging a goal involvement every 48 minutes in the competition so far.
