Match Day Thread Arsenal vs FC Porto - Thread (Champions League - RO16 - 2nd leg)

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Venue: Emirates Stadium
Date: Tuesday 12th March 2024
KO time: 20:00 GMT

Overall Record

Wins: 3
Losses: 3
Draws: 1

Last six meetings

FC Porto 1-0 Arsenal
Arsenal 5-0 FC Porto
FC Porto 2-1 Arsenal
FC Porto 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 FC Porto
FC Porto 0-0 Arsenal

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Martinelli not going to be fit for this game, unfortunately, as he has a gash on his foot that needs more time to recover.

But in better news…

 

Not a fan of Trossard starting on the left in a game like this, but good to see the bench getting stronger. A lot of game changers around.

 

Yeah would have preferred Jesus

 

Ugh.. take Trossard off. He's walking when he should be running and then chasing lost causes.

 

I take it all back.

 

HT. 1-0.

We haven’t been great and Porto looked a bit more threatening/dangerous than we’d hoped, but a moment of magic from Odegaard and a clinical finish from Trossard has opened the game right up.

I can’t believe their players haven’t been booked for some of these late/terrible challenges. The referee is being far too lenient with how Porto are playing. He needs to show more consistency.

Also, 1 minute of added time? piss off. With all their time wasting and feigning injury? What a joke.

Good to go into aggregate level but we need to step it up second half.

 

Felt like we’d been a bit too pensive and nervous on the ball, but I’m hoping that goal will open things up and give us a bit more belief.

Saliba has been uncharacteristically rash in both games. Need calma.

 

Odegaard is an absolute legend... now there is our game changer!! Let's put these bastards to the sword in the 2nd half...two quick second half goals would be lovely!! COYG

 

Saka is having a 'mare

 

Extra time. Will Arteta bring on Partey? - he's not been great in his last two sub appearances. But we could do with his ability to carry the ball.

 

I do not want to see Partey in this match, he's too rusty and his passing has been dodgy since returning from injury. We need to press more with the likes of ESR! COYG!!

 

Onto ET we go.

We've really not played well tonight. Technical security has been below par, we're having trouble penetrating through central areas and there's not really been as much fluidity between our front line like normal. Saying that, we've had the best chances (the few we've had), but you'd expect that as we're the home team.

I don't know why Arteta's not made any subs apart from Jesus. We clearly need a burst of energy and power, he's being too risk averse.

As for Saka, this is not a good time to have the worst performance of his life. It's difficult because, on the one hand, he's capable of magic out of nowhere. On the other hand, he's had a real shocker and I don't know if I trust him to produce when the chips are down considering how poor he's been.

 

White and Kiwior have both had subpar games tonight. We really need everyone to get a second wind because we have no games for almost 3 weeks after this. Come on lads, let's go through tonight.

 

Saka's lost the ball 25 times tonight. He must have the worst ball retention out of everyone on the pitch.

 

HT in ET. Tie still totally in the balance.

Zinchenko and Nketiah apparently going to come on in the second half of ET.

 

Even if we go through tonight, Porto have tactically outsmarted us over two legs. They’ve brought us down to their level and have disrupted any momentum we’ve tried to muster up.

We’ve been really naive in our approach play and Arteta’s lack of subs has done us no favours.

Looks like this is going to go to penalties. Porto trying their hardest to run the clock down.

Going out on penalties at home for two consecutive years against Portuguese opposition would absolutely kill me.

 

FT at ET. Penalties it is. I feel sick.

 

Porto have impressed me. TBH.

 

Porto have been so streetwise and managed both legs superbly.

I think these are the games where a world class striker, one who can create chances for themselves or finish given half a chance, is the difference.