Losing 1-0 to Porto in the first leg was really unfortunate for Arsenal as they played quite overwhelmingly but did not score a goal. Porto is always an unpleasant opponent in the UCL, but looking back at the teams entering the qualifying round, this is a much easier opponent for them. Hopefully the Emirates home field will help Arsenal play more confidently and win against Porto in the second leg.
The 1-0 defeat against Porto was not complicated for Arsenal, even though Porto has always been a bad club, that doesn't mean they are difficult to beat. We know that Porto always beat big clubs in the last 16 of the Champions League, but we have to know that the second leg will be played at Arsenal which is expected to be beneficial for Arsenal in getting a goal. At least a 2-0 result is enough to advance Arsenal to the next round, at least to avoid a draw or keep Porto from scoring goals above 2, because that will eliminate Arsenal in the number of away goals. and aggregate goals.
When Arsenal traveled to Portugal to play against Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, I was expecting Mikel Arteta's men to at least get a draw in that game before waiting for the second leg that'll be played at the Emirates stadium but surprisingly to me, Arsenal didn't just fail to get a draw in that game but also failed to find the back of the net and that I think has put their qualification to the next round of the competition on hang because the Porto team is very good in their defense line and are very capable of protecting the first one goal lead from the first leg of the tie. Porto are currently in the third position of the Portuguese league table behind league leaders and current champions Benfica and second placed Sporting Lisbon but that doesn't suggest that they can't be able to eliminate Arsenal in the second leg even when bookmakers are still backing the English club to defeat Porto and go through.
For Arsenal to reach the next round of the UEFA Champions League, their attacking line must be on their best when the host the Portuguese club for the second leg of the tie. Breaking a Porto defense that's led by the legendary Pepe who we all know is a rockie and very solid at the back will be very difficult of you ask me. However, Arsenal will play the second leg of that game at home in front of their home fans and that I think will give them all the needed support to be at their best and better the result of Porto in the first leg and reach the quarter finals of the competition.