Arsenal vs Porto – Preview, Predictions, And Best Bets

Arsenal face Porto in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. A 94th-minute goal in the first leg means FC Porto hold a narrow 1-0 lead in the tie. The Portuguese have made the quarter-finals just twice in the last 11 years. Arsenal haven’t made it past the last-16 of this competition since 2010.

Arsenal Form

It’s eight league wins in a row for Arsenal with 33 goals scored. Their only recent defeat was to Porto in the first leg as they failed to have a shot on target. This streak has seen many teams destroyed by the Gunners. They beat Crystal Palace 5-0 and the third win was a key 3-1 home victory over Liverpool.

A 6-0 home thrashing of West Ham preceded a 5-0 win at Burnley. After the loss in Portugal, they beat Newcastle 4-1 at home and won 6-0 at Sheffield United. On Saturday, they needed a relatively late goal to win 2-1 at home to Brentford.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Arteta has a question mark over left winger Gabriel Martinelli due to a foot injury. Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Jesus could take his place. Jurrien Timber is still injured in defence but Takehiro Tomiyasu is training again.

David Raya returns after missing the Brentford win. Thomas Partey and Oleksandr Zinchenko are fit again to feature from the bench.

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners will be desperate to get the result they need to progress to the quarter-finals.

Arteta’s side will attack and give full attention to this match with a full 19 days until they face Man City.

Porto Form

FC Porto are seven points off the summit in the Portuguese Primeira Liga having played a match more. Their only loss in 2024 was a shock 3-2 league defeat to Arouca in February. They bounced back to beat Estrela da Amadora 2-0 at home. The first leg vs Arsenal saw a compact, solid display and a last-gasp goal to win 1-0.

Four days later, they slipped up in a 1-1 draw at Gil Vicente. The Dragons have won their three matches going into the second leg. A remarkable 5-0 home win over ten-man Benfica followed with 2.81 xG and 63% possession. On Friday, Porto won 3-0 at Portimonense.

Porto Team News

Coach Sergio Conceicao is without left-back Zaidu Sanusi. Central defender Ivan Marcano had knee surgery and won’t be seen any this season. Striker Mehdi Taremi is out for another couple of weeks.

Porto have a settled team in a 4-2-3-1 shape. The XI picks itself with Evanilson up front and Wendell excelling at left-back.

Porto Motivation

Once again, Conceicao’s team will play the only way they know how. They will look to be tight and to get through the first 20 minutes unscathed as a first plan.

Expect a compact, aggressive side that presses in midfield and transitions at pace down the flanks.

Key Stats

Arsenal have won their last 8 EPL matches (33 goals scored)

Arsenal’s Havertz has scored 4 goals in his last 5 matches

Porto have won 5 of their last 7 Champions League matches (2 losses)

Porto have won 4 of their last 5 away matches in this competition, scoring 15 goals

Verdict

Arsenal had no answer to Porto in the first leg and won’t find it easy here. By the end, the Gunners should get the win to progress in 90 minutes, but the Portuguese side are well-coached and full of character.

Best Bet: Arsenal win and under 3.5 Goals at 2.05
Value Bet: Arsenal to win by exactly 2 goals at 3.95
Build-a-Bet: Arsenal win and Havertz to score anytime at 3.33

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis