Arsenal are set to get their Champions League knockout campaign underway on Wednesday night when they travel to Portugal to take on Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. Arsenal come into the match playing their best football of the season so Porto have a huge job on their hands if they are to stay in the tie before the second leg. The Porto vs Arsenal last five H2Hs suggest this one could go either way which makes this a must-watch encounter.
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Porto vs Arsenal H2H record
The Porto vs Arsenal rivalry kicked off in 2006 when the two sides met for the first time in the Champions League group stages. The match was the first Champions League match to ever be played at the Emirates Stadium and the home side kicked things off in style with a 2-0 win over their Portuguese opponents. Since then, they have met a further five times.
- Porto Wins: 2
- Draws: 1
- Arsenal Wins: 3
Arsenal's record against Portuguese teams is generally pretty good. They have played teams from Portugal on 18 occasions and have won eight, drawn six and lost four. They will be hoping to make that 10 wins in 20 matches by the end of this Round of 16 tie.
Porto vs Arsenal last five H2Hs
Arsenal 5-0 Porto – 9th March 2010
Arsenal's last encounter with Porto was a memorable one with the Gunners running riot at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League Round of 16. Arsenal trailed by a goal heading into the match but they had turned the tie on its head by half time at the Emirates thanks to a first half double from Nicklas Bendtner. After the break, Arsene Wenger's side upped it a notch and added two more goals via Eboue and Nasri before Bendnter secured his hat trick in stoppage time.
Porto 2-1 Arsenal – 17th February 2010
The only previous occasion that Arsenal and Porto have been drawn to face each other in the Champions League Round of 16 came in 2010. Like this year, the first leg was played in Porto and the Portuguese outfit had a night to remember as they ran out 2-1 winners. Valera gave the home side the lead early on before Sol Campbell equalised for the Gunners before half time. Falcao ensured Porto would head into the second leg with the lead when he scored in the 51st minute.
Porto 2-0 Arsenal – 10th December 2008
Porto and Arsenal met on matchday six of the 2008/09 group stage at the Estadio do Dragao with top spot in Group G on the line. Arsenal knew that a point would be enough to see them qualify as group winners while Porto needed a win. The Portuguese team put in a faultless performance and won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Bruno Alves and Lisandro Lopez.
Arsenal 4-0 Porto – 30th September 2008
Earlier in the 2008/09 group stages, Arsenal welcomed Porto to the Emirates Stadium and enjoyed an emphatic win over their Group G rivals. The match saw both Robin Van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor get on the scoresheet twice in what proved to be the beginning of an impressive Champions League campaign for the Gunners. They made it all the way to the semi-finals where they lost to Manchester United.
Porto 0-0 Arsenal – 6th December 2006
The only time Arsenal have avoided defeat at the Estadio do Dragao came in December 2006 in their final Group G fixture. Arsenal knew that a point would be enough to see them qualify for the Round of 16 winners and they did exactly that in a game that was instantly forgettable. Arsenal's Champions League campaign didn't last much longer with PSV knocking them out in the Round of 16.
Potential MVP – Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka seems to save his best form for the Champions League and the England winger has returned to top form in recent weeks ahead of the competition's return. Saka scored three goals in five appearances in the Champions League group stages and he has scored six goals in his last four appearances in the Premier League which makes him Arsenal's most dangerous and in-form player for this fixture.
Key trend
Looking at the Porto vs Arsenal last five H2Hs, the Gunners' supporters will likely be concerned by their side's record at the Estadio do Dragao. In three visits to the stadium, they have drawn once and lost twice but records are there to be broken and we are backing Arsenal to win the match to take a commanding position in the tie ahead of the second leg in three weeks.
For more tips, check out our in-depth Porto vs Arsenal prediction.
