There is no time for fooling around or taking it easy- Arsenal need to win, and they need to do it in normal time/regulation against FC Porto on Tuesday night.
Down 1-0 from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, this is do-or-die (win or there’s no tomorrow) for their continental campaign.
Arsenal vs FC Porto FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. Mar. 12, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Competition: UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 2/2
Aggregate: FC Porto 1-0
Arsenal Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: Arsenal FC 79% Extra Time 14% FC Porto 7%
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
While the Gunners have looked off-the-charts formidable several times over the course of the past few weeks, yesterday was not one of those times.
They got the league fixture win over Brentford, and that is all that matters (geez, I’m using so many sports writing cliches here, sorry about that!), but they didn’t run up the score.
Here in midweek it’s going to be all about “survive and advance,” not lopsided score lines or style points. Expect manager Mikel Arteta to make some changes here with his lineup, in order to keep guys crisp, and with fresh legs on the pitch.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction vs FC Porto (Champions League)
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz; Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.