Porto v Arsenal – Preview, Predictions, And Best Bets

Porto host Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night. The Dragons face a Gunners side in top form as the Portuguese club looks to make the quarter-finals for just the third time in 12 years. Arsenal haven’t made it past this round of the competition since 2010.

Porto Form

FC Porto are seven points off Benfica in the Primeira Liga. They qualified for the knockout stage with four wins and two losses in the Group Stage. After a 5-3 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday Six, Porto lost 2-0 to rivals Sporting Lisbon.

They’ve played ten matches since then. Two wins preceded a 1-1 draw at Boavista. After four more wins, their title hopes were dealt a blow by drawing 0-0 at home to Rio Ave and then 3-2 away at Arouca. On Saturday, they beat Estrela da Amadora 2-0 at home.

Porto Team News

Coach Sergio Conceicao has an injury doubt over left-back Zaidu Sanusi. Jorge Sanchez may deputise for this match. Central defender Ivan Marcano won’t play again this season after knee surgery.

Striker Mehdi Taremi has only played 22 minutes since returning from the Asia Cup. He is expected to start this one with Evanilson dropping to the bench. Centre-back Fabio Cardoso is available after serving a domestic ban.

Porto Motivation

If the Portuguese giants are to progress, they need to win this home match.

They will press hard and use transitions. They can’t play overly defensively but they have to be compact and deny space to Arsenal.

Arsenal Form

After three successive losses, the Gunners were out of the FA Cup and losing ground in the title race. They were beaten 2-0 at home by West Ham, 2-1 at Fulham, and 2-0 at home by Liverpool (FA Cup). Five successive wins have followed, starting with a 5-0 home humbling of Crystal Palace.

A 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest followed as they conceded a late consolation goal. They preyed on errors to beat Liverpool 3-1 at home after that. The last two fixtures have seen Arsenal flying. They beat West Ham 6-0 at home and then won 5-0 at Burnley in a one-sided contest on Saturday.

Arsenal Team News

Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey miss out through injury. Takehiro Tomiyasu came back from the Asia Cup with a knock, but he should be available again.

There could be a bench role for Fabio Vieira against his former club after injury. Oleksandr Zinchenko is doubtful, but Gabriel Jesus may be able to feature as a substitute.

Arsenal Motivation

The Gunners are in great form and have been able to take off key men for partial rests in recent fixtures.

They will go all out to win this first leg and put one foot in the quarter-finals. Arsenal are expected to dominate the possession in this clash.

Key Stats

Porto have won 4 of their last 6 Champions League matches (2 losses)

Porto are unbeaten in 10 home matches (9 wins, 1 draw)

Arsenal have won their last 5 matches (21 goals scored)

Arsenal’s Saka has scored 6 goals in his last 4 matches

Verdict

The hosts are good at home but they’re facing Arsenal just as Arteta’s side find their top gear. I am backing an away win in this one.

Best Bet: Arsenal win at 1.66
Value Bet: Arsenal win (-1 handicap) at 3.00
Goalscorer Tips: Saka anytime scorer at 2.80 or Havertz anytime scorer at 3.60

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