This is a game that Arsenal simply have to win if they are to go through to the next round. That means that Arsenal will have to attack and Arsenal are widely recognised as one of the best attacking teams in the world.
I watched their game against Burnley on Saturday which they won 3-1 and they created a host of chances - how they didn't score at least 2 more - only Niklas Bendtner knows!
Arsenal were more than equal to the challenge of Porto in the 1st leg - 2 goals were effectively conceded by goalkeeping error and Arsenal fans will be pleased to hear that Almunia should be back in goal tonight. Without those errors, Arsenal should have had at least a draw in Porto.
A worry for Arsenal is the absence of Fabregas, however, they are not a one man team and they continued to play very well after his substitution against Burnley.
Porto are, of course, better team than Burnley. However, they have suffered poor form since the first leg - losing 3-0 at Sporting Lisbon, then coming from 2 goals down to draw 2-2 at home with Olhanense - a much worse team than Arsenal.
Taking all of this into account I believe that Arsenal should win this game. The price of 1.57 at Ladbrokes for Arsenal does not look great value but is fair / accurate value. A stake of 7 is reasonable for this tie. Posted on Mar-09-2010 at 19:04 CET |