Arsenal defeated Brentford 2-1 on Saturday night, their eighth win in nine games since the winter break. Their only defeat was a 1-0 setback to FC Porto in the opening leg of the Champions League round-of-16 match a few weeks ago.
Well, Champions League action returns this week, with Arsenal hosting FC Porto at the Emirates on Tuesday night in the round of 16 return leg.
Mikel Arteta has two demands as his team approaches this crucial week in which their fate in Europe will be decided.
The Spaniard wants his players to, for the time being, disregard the pressures of the Premier League title race and focus solely on FC Porto. He also invites Arsenal fans to show up at the Emirates on Tuesday night and support the club to victory with the same passion as they have in recent home games.
Arteta said on Arsenal.com: “The Premier League is done; we’re not going to play a game for 19 days, and now the full focus is on Porto.
“We can achieve something that we haven’t done in 14 years [by reaching the last eight], so that’s the challenge ahead of us. More of that support, or better, please, on Tuesday against Porto, because it will give us a great chance to go through.”
If there is one game Arsenal must win without excuses, it is against FC Porto. The Portuguese were quite fortunate to secure a last-minute victory over Arsenal in the first leg. I simply hope that the Arsenal team’s recent efficiency in front of goal continues on Tuesday night.
With the return (from injury) of Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus, and Fabio Vieira, Arsenal’s substitute bench is as formidable as it has ever been. FC Porto will truly be in for a rude shock.
Sam P
Do you want to read our whole collection of history articles? Check out our Just Arsenal History section
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
