Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has named his starting line-up for tonight’s Champions League encounter against Porto at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat during the first leg of the round of 16 tie and they will be aiming to make amends to reach the quarter-final stage.
Ahead of the game, Arteta has made a single change from the 2-1 Premier League win over Brentford.
In goal, David Raya reclaims his place ahead of Aaron Ramsdale, who had an eventful London derby.
Ramsdale made a huge blunder which helped the Bees equalise, but he redeemed himself in the second half with two outstanding saves before Kai Havertz’s winner.
Despite this, the 25-year-old has dropped to the bench with Raya back in goal. The Spaniard was ineligible to face Brentford, having joined on loan from the west London side.
There are no changes elsewhere. We had predicted the manager to pick Oleksandr Zinchenko over Jakub Kiwior at left-back due to his creativity and ability to invert into midfield.
However, Arteta has gone with a settled backline of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kiwior. Similarly, Jorginho and Declan Rice start in the centre of the park.
In final third, Leandro Trossard has retained his spot ahead of Gabriel Jesus on the left wing. Jesus has four goals and two assists from five European outings this term, but he starts on the bench.
Gabriel Martinelli has not made the squad altogether, having yet to recover from a nasty cut on his left foot at Sheffield United. As a result, he has also withdrawn from Brazil duty.
Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz complete the rest of the Gunners attack.
Confirmed Arsenal line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Porto: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Havertz.
Arsenal were poor at the Estadio do Dragao earlier last month. They suffered a late defeat at the stadium after Galeno’s stellar long-range strike in stoppage time.
The Gunners failed to register a single shot on target and Arteta will expect a better showing as the club look to end their 14-year wait to reach the Champions League quarter-final.
The manager has repaid his faith with almost an unchanged team. The Gunners will have to play at their best in order to overcome a stubborn and hardworking Porto outfit.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
