Arsenal vs Porto UCL Odds: Round of 16 Decider
Gunners Trail by a Goal
Exciting Match Awaits at the Emirates
Arsenal have their backs against the wall heading into the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. While the Gunners topped the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday, they trail Porto 1-0 on aggregate in the UCL.
Porto scored right at the death in the first leg and the Portuguese side will do their best to hold on, on Tuesday. Arsenal host Porto at the Emirates in one of two UCL games on Tuesday. With the Gunners needing a win, we’ll check out the Arsenal vs Porto UCL odds.
Arsenal vs FC Porto
Day/Time:
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England
Arsenal vs Porto Head-to-Head
Right now, Arsenal are in a similar position to the last time the Champions League bracket paired up Porto and the Gunners. Arsenal trail 1-0 as Porto got a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time at the Estadio do Dragao in February. Galeno caught David Raya off his line and launched a wonder strike into the back of the net.
The pregame Arsenal vs Porto odds listed the hosts as +440 underdogs. When these sides met in the 2009-10 UCL round of 16, Arsenal lost the away leg 2-1 and trounced Porto 5-0 at home. The all-time series is tied 3-3, with one draw, but Arsenal are a perfect 3-0 at home.
Arsenal Grab Another Premier League Win
Arsenal have played eight Premier League matches in 2024 and they’ve come out on top in all of them. They’ve thrashed teams by six goals on multiple occasions in recent weeks but Saturday’s match wasn’t easy. The Gunners struck first vs Brentford, as Ben White sent in a cross that Declan Rice headed home.
However, an error by Aaron Ramsdale, who was only playing in goal because David Raya couldn’t suit up vs his parent club, allowed Brentford back in the match.
Ramsdale made up for it with some important saves in the second half and White provided another assist as Kai Havertz headed in the winning goal. Havertz came under a lot of scrutiny after a big money move from Chelsea but he’s scored in four straight Premier League matches.
Martin Odegaard has been pulling the strings in midfield with ease as of late and Arsenal keep on winning. They’ve been one of the best soccer picks in domestic competition lately.
The loss vs Porto in February ended a five game winning streak and the Gunners will be eager to get revenge. While Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira have all been dealing with injuries as of late, they’ll be available to play on Tuesday.
Gabriel Martinelli, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber are the only players who figure to miss out. Notably, the Gunners have scored 17 goals in their last five games overall but they’ll miss Martinelli’s skill and work rate on the left flank.
Porto Have Kept Back-to-Back Clean Sheets
FC Porto are one of the best sides in Portugal year after year. At the moment, they’ve conceded the fewest goals in the Liga Portugal with an average of just 0.68 goals allowed per game. On Friday, Porto easily defeated Portimonense 3-0, on the road.
Galeno got on the scoresheet for a third straight game and Nico Gonzalez and Pepê also found the net. Galeno has been enjoying his football as of late, as the Brazilian has scored six times in his last six games.
During the first weekend of March, Porto also thrashed their rivals Benfica 5-0. The Portuguese side finished in second place in the Group H UCL table behind Barcelona, while averaging 2.5 goals per game. The other Pepe, a Real Madrid legend, has provided leadership and experience at the back and he was a big reason why Porto managed to shut out Arsenal last time out.
Porto will once again have to be comfortable without having much of the ball, as Arsenal will likely dominate possession. Heading into this one, Porto have kept back-to-back clean sheets and four in their last six games.
Mehdi Taremi missed the last match vs Arsenal with a thigh problem and he could also miss out here. Zaidu and Ivan Marcano are also out injured but haven’t played key roles this season.
Arsenal vs FC Porto Match Analysis & Odds
Arsenal FC enter Tuesday’s match as big favorites to go on and qualify for the Champions League Quarter-Final for the first time since the 2009-10 season. At the moment, the Arsenal vs Porto UCL odds list the Gunners as -350 favorites to advance.
As for the actual 90-minute match, Arsenal are also -425 favorites to win. If Mikel Arteta’s side wins by one goal, Arsenal and Porto will play extra time.
Porto are +1125 underdogs to get their first-ever win at the Emirates Stadium and Porto +1.5, +2 comes in at even odds. A draw (+525) would be a fine result for Porto, who are up 1-0, but would spell disaster for Arsenal.
Many think the Gunners will advance without the need for extra time or penalties, as Arsenal -1.5, -2 sits at -120. Not having Martinelli will hurt Arsenal and his replacement Leandro Trossard was disappointing on Saturday.
Still, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz and Declan Rice have all been contributing to a lot of goals lately and could step up here. While Arsenal have scored at least three goals in five of their last seven games, under three goals are priced at -120 odds here.
Porto’s Galeno has contributed to nine goals in the Champions League this season, which makes him joint-leader.
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