Key events
Barcelona host Napoli in the other round of 16 tonight and Will Unwin is missing his anniversary to cover it, so you could at least pop in and say hello.
“Has a referee’s nickname ever been as preordained as that of Monsieur Turpin tonight in north London?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “Arteta’s ‘robbery’ claims will prove themselves if Arsenal fail tonight.”
It is the worst case of nominative determinism since then the 1878 FA Cup final.
“The news that Skynet is taking over the Champions League draw is alarming, but this helpful video explains the new system clearly and concisely,” writes Brian McCloskey.
Porto’s team is unchanged from the team that won 1-0 in the first leg, with a defense consisting of João Mário (not this one) and Pepe (this one). Pepê (another) starts alongside the in-form Galeno in a 4-2-3-1 that will probably look more like a 4-5-1 without the ball.
Gabriel Martinelli is not fit for the bench, Kai Havertz is the only change to start at the front compared to the first leg. Leandro Trossard is preferred over Gabriel Jesus as Arteta is among the outfield players who beat Brentford on Saturday and David Raya returns between the sticks.
“What significance do you think this game has in Arteta’s tenure?” asks Gabriel Zoltan-Johan. “Surely it has to be in the top three.”
It’s a tough one: there have been plenty of higher stakes games, but it seems like a big psychological hurdle to overcome. Arsenal have not won a Champions League knockout game since Arteta played for the club. Also: With a name like that, Gabriel, are you on the books at the academy?
Team news
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Ødegaard (c), Jorginho; Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Hein, Partey, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Fábio Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus.
Porto (4-2-3-1): Costa; João Mário, Pepe (c), Otávio, Wendell; Varela, Nico Gonzalez; Francisco Conceição, Eduardo Pepê, Galeno; Evanilson.
Substitutes: Claudio Ramos, Fábio Cardoso, Eustáquio, Grujic, Taremi, Sánchez, Jaime, Namaso, Romário Baró, Toni Martínez, Gonçalo Borges, Ze Pedro.
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
Mikel Arteta grabbed his Jersey and welding maskand urged his players to make their passion come true tonight in the Champions League.
David Hytner takes a look at the bigger picture of Porto, who are currently behind the two Lisbon teams in the title race. Amid financial uncertainty and boardroom turmoil, former manager Andre Villas-Boas is running to return as president.
As noted below, Porto come into this with a 1-0 lead after Galeno’s late strike punished an Arsenal side that failed to put a shot on target.
Today there is interesting news: the new “league phase” of the Champions League, which comes into force next season, is so complicated that the draw has to be carried out by computer. What could possibly go wrong?!
preamble
Not so long ago, the round of 16 of the Champions League was undeniably the “Arsenal round”. From 2010-11 to 2016-17, the Gunners failed at this stage seven times in a row. This is the club’s first season in Europe’s premier competition since then and a chance for Mikel Arteta to rewrite recent history.
Given that this was Arsenal in Europe, it was probably never going to be smooth sailing; Amid a string of ruthless, high-scoring domestic performances, Arteta’s side lost the first leg 1-0 in Portugal. They are still the heavy favorites to progress tonight and can banish a few demons with the comprehensive win that has been their strength of late.
The last time Arsenal reached the quarter-finals was in 2010, when they did so against Porto, who they beat 5-0 at home after losing the first leg. Other signs are not quite as positive – Arteta has yet to win a European knockout game at the Emirates in five attempts. Tonight the club and manager will either change that narrative or leave behind the familiar feeling of what could have been.
