Arsenal will have to overcome the Indian sign before Porto. Since 2010, the Gunners have been eliminated from the Champions League Round of 8. Against FC Porto, Arteta's men, beaten 0-1 in the first leg, are obliged to bounce back. In the evening's other encounter between FC Barcelona and Napoli, we'll be keeping a close eye on strikers Lewandowski and Osimhen, who both scored in the first leg (1-1).
Bootmakers be warned. Betting is prohibited on the outcome of the Champions League Round of 8, to be played this Tuesday, March 12 at 20:00 GMT. Between Barcelona and Napoli, and Arsenal and Porto, things could go either way.
Arsenal-Porto, the Gunners still cursed in the last 8?
Arsenal have always had an unhappy ending in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League. The Londoners are even cursed at this stage of the competition. The Gunners have lost their last seven first-leg matches at this stage of the tournament.Worse still, the last time they progressed beyond the Champions League Round of 8 was in 2009-2010. Beaten 1-0 by FC Porto in the first leg, Mikel Arteta's side can still turn things around at home with the support of their fans. "We know we have a long game ahead of us. And that there can be moments when everything goes well and others when everything can change very quickly.Emotionally, we have to be very well prepared to play these matches," says Arsenal manager Arteta.
His counterpart Sérgio Conceição of FC Porto responded: "Porto are here in London to match this opponent, win the match and qualify for the quarter-finals. We have respect for Arsenal, but we're not afraid. There's quality on both sides. We need to be ready to defend and go forward."
Barcelona-Naples or the Lewandowski-Osimhen duel
It's sure to be a match that lives up to its promise, as it did in the first leg (1-1).Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring with a fine strike in the 60th minute, before the ever-dangerous Victor Osimhen levelled the scores in the 75th minute.
The thrilling second leg, to be played in Catalonia, promises to be a thriller. "It's the most important (LDC) match of the season so far. We're motivated and excited, because it's been four years since we reached the quarter-finals. We're up against a great opponent, who were Serie A champions last year. I hope it will be a magical evening for Barcelona fans," confided Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández.
"We're ready for it. We've spent a few days sorting out the details and the boys are looking forward to doing everything they can against Barcelona. It's true that we're still conceding goals, but slowly but surely we're closing ranks. Barcelona have a clear identity, and Xavi says they're not going to change their approach. They're a team with great tactical variety and quality players. But we have to contain them," says Francesco Calzona of Napoli.
