In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League – another match of the best teams in Europe. On Wednesday, the contender for the Portuguese championship “Porto” and the contender for the English championship “Arsenal” will meet. Actually, even this one fact should indicate to us that the fight will be interesting and uncompromising.
1/8 finals of the Champions League. The first match
February 21, 22:00. “Estadio do Dragao” (Porto)
Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (Netherlands)
“Porto” – “Arsenal”. 22:00
Live Stream: Megogo Football 2
Porto
Sergio Conceicao’s team is having a very good season. They are fighting for the championship, still chasing the Portuguese Cup and already in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League. Of course, it is worth remembering what the Portuguese path was like to this stage. Finding ourselves in a group with Barcelona, Shakhtar and Antwerp, it was impossible to say for sure who would finish in what place. After all, here are the Spanish in crisis, and the Portuguese are approximately equal to the Ukrainians, and the Belgians, who could also spoil the nerves. Still, the main matches for Porto were the meetings with Shakhtar. 2 victories in head-to-head games confirmed that the Portuguese deserve to advance to the next round of the Champions League. By the way, the “dragons” scored 15 goals in 6 matches – this is the best result in the group.
In the new year, things are not going so enchantingly, but there is no point in complaining either. The distance to first place in the championship is 7 points (currently Porto is in 3rd place). This is due to the fact that the team from time to time loses points with opponents that a contender for the trophy would need to overcome. Either draws with Boavista and Rio Ave, then defeat to Arouca, and at the end of last year there was also a failure in the classic confrontation with Sporting.
The one who should cause Arsenal the most trouble is the Brazilian Evanilson. He is Porto’s top scorer (13 goals) and a source of creativity in attack. In the Champions League, scoring is not a problem for him either – 4 goals in 5 matches.
Porto’s helper in the game with the Londoners is defender Zaidou, who was injured in the first match after returning from the African Cup. Such a sad February for the Cameroonian: first a defeat in the CAN final, and a few days later an additional injury. Defender Ivan Marcano is still recovering from a knee injury. It is unknown whether team leader Mehdi Taremi will play. Firstly, he is injured, and secondly, he is already concerned about a future move to Inter.
Arsenal
London Arsenal constantly strives for the highest results in all tournaments. That is, everything is as it should be for a top club. But in recent years it has been impossible to reach the desired “Olympus”. Something is always missing. Yes, winning trophies like the FA Cup is already good, but Arsenal’s ambitions definitely reach championships in the Premier League and the European tournament.
This season, Londoners are playing in the Champions League for the first time in the last 7 years. They made it through the group quite confidently: 4 wins, a draw and a loss. PSV, Lens and Sevilla are still below Arsenal’s level. Mikel Arteta’s team became one of the most productive in the group stage (16 goals) and conceded a meager number of goals (4).
In the Premier League, Arsenal is making another attempt at 1st place. Right now they are second, but only 2 points away from the desired position. The chance for the championship is huge, the main thing is to be in shape until the last round. There is no other way. After 25 rounds, the Gunners have one of the best attacks in the league (58 goals) and top defense (only 22 conceded).
Arsenal’s results in the new year cannot but please: 5 wins in the last 5 matches. Among them were defeats of Crystal Palace (5:0), West Ham (6:0) and Burnley (5:0). Other teams are probably already scared to take to the field against the Londoners.
A number of players are at risk of not playing against Porto: Zinchenko, Timber, Vieira, Jesus, Partey and Tomiyasu.
Last 3 matches
- Last 3 matches of Porto:
17.02. “Porto” – “Estrela Amadora” 2:0 (Portugal League)
12.02. “Arouca” – “Porto” 3:2 (Portugal League)
03.02. “Porto” – “Rio Ave” 0:0 (Portugal League)
- Arsenal’s last 3 meetings:
17.02. Burnley – Arsenal 0:5 (Premier League)
11.02. “West Ham” – “Arsenal” 0:6 (Premier League)
04.02. Arsenal – Liverpool 3:1 (Premier League)
- Last 3 head-to-head meetings:
2010. Arsenal – Porto 5:0 (Champions League)
2010. Porto – Arsenal 2:1 (Champions League)
2008. Porto – Arsenal 2:0 (Champions League)
Bets and odds
Forecast for the match Porto – Arsenal from UA-Football
Of course, the representative from England is considered the favorite. We think that we should count on their victory. True, here’s an interesting historical fact for you to think about – Arsenal have never won on the Porto field. Be that as it may, we believe Mikel Arteta’s current team is capable of anything. Our forecast is a minimal victory for the guests.
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