Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Porto
Match Time & Date:
21/02/2024
21:00
Prediction: 0-1
Arsenal
All eyes will be on Estadio do Dragao when Porto and Arsenal lock horns in the Champions League last 16, first leg. The Dragons quickly bounced back from a shocking 3-2 loss to Arouca, with the team beating Estrela 2-0 in their last league match, but they will have a mountain to climb against the in-form Gunners. Zaidu has joined Ivan Marcano in the recovery room, with Jorge Sanchez likely to sneak into the starting XI.
Mikel Arteta’s men, on the other hand, are on a five-game winning run in all competitions. As Arsenal looked sharp in front of goal in back-to-back wins over West Ham United (6-0) and Burnley (5-0), we are tempted to place our bets on the Premier League outfit. A man to keep an eye on in the away team will be Bukayo Saka, who has found his goal-scoring touch of late, while all Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Oleksandr Zinchenko are rated doubtful for the match.
Highlighted Player (Pepe):
Pepe is a professional footballer who plays for Porto as a defender. The Portuguese international played for Maritimo at the start of his senior career and in 2004 he moved to Porto. After making 64 league appearances for the Dragons, he signed a contract with Real Madrid in 2007 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
Pepe is well known for his hard tackles and referees often show him red card. The Real Madrid centre back often played as a defensive midfielder under Jose Mourinho and it has to be noted that he scored five goals in all competitions in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign.
The Portuguese footballer won his second Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in the 2015/2016 season and later in 2016 he helped A Selecao win the European Championship trophy. Portugal defeated France in the title game and Pepe played an important role in Fernando Santos’ team in the Euro 2016 final. The Real Madrid defender was born in Maceio, Brazil on 26 February, 1983.
Highlighted Team (Arsenal):
Arsenal are regarded as one of the best English teams. The Gunners have won 12 FA Cup trophies, 13 league titles and two League Cups, but they have yet to lift the Champions League trophy. Arsene Wenger’s team were on the verge of beating Barcelona in the Champions League final back in 2006, but they eventually failed to win the prestigious title.
Arsenal used to play their homes at Highbury, but in 2006 they moved to the Emirates Stadium. The capacity of the stadium is 60,260. The Gunners won their last Premier League trophy back in 2004, with the capital club going through the season without a single loss. The likes of Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp and Robert Pires were part of the team back then, but Arsenal have not won the league trophy ever since.
Arsenal was founded by Woolwich munitions workers as Dial Square back in 1886. It is well known that Tottenham Hotspur are Arsenal’s fiercest rivals and there have always been fireworks when the two local rivals meet in the North London derby.
