Arsenal and the UEFA Champions League is a story that does not usually have a happy ending. The 13-time English champions are arguably the biggest club to have never won Europe's premier competition and their only distinguishing feature in the Champions League is poor performance.
The last time the Gunners won a tie in the competition, they did so thanks to a Nicklas Bendtner hat-trick (remember him?) in a 5-0 round of 16 second leg win over Porto in March 2010. Overturned a 2-1 first-leg defeat to take Arsene Wenger's team to the quarter-finals and a 6-3 aggregate loss to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.
Since then, it has been nothing but a story of abject Champions League failure for London's biggest club as they managed to qualify for the competition. Premier League rivals Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City all reached the final during that time. Liverpool, City and Chelsea (twice) managed to win it, but Arsenal can only point to a streak of eight consecutive eliminations in the round of 16.
When Mikel Arteta's side take on Porto on Tuesday night, as they attempt to overturn a one-goal deficit in a first-leg defeat, just as they did in 2010, they will go into the game having not won a game home tie in the Champions League since 2012. But then a 3-0 win at the Emirates against AC Milan was not enough to overturn a 4-0 defeat in the first leg at the San Siro.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)
Arteta has transformed Arsenal since taking charge of the team in December 2019. He has turned them into serious Premier League title contenders again and has returned the club to the Champions League after a six-season absence, but Tuesday's clash with Porto offers a reminder of how far Arteta and the club still have to travel in club football's biggest competition before they can truly return to being among the elite.
The test of Arsenal's resolve in the Premier League is yet to come this season, but Arteta's side are top of the table, a point clear of Liverpool, and will set themselves up as favorites to finish top. highest and end a 20-year title drought if they beat City at the Etihad on March 31.
So far this season, Arsenal have responded to every challenge they have faced in the Premier League. And apart from the first leg defeat against Porto at the Estádio do Dragão last month, they have lived up to expectations in the Champions League, topping Group B with a healthy margin of four points.
But now is the time for Arsenal to show that they have overcome the weaknesses that have hurt them in the past, both domestically and in Europe. It is time for Arteta and his players to hold their nerve when the pressure is really on, something they have failed to do in the last two seasons when chasing the title in 2023 and trying to secure qualification for the Champions League in 2022. Last season, When faced with tough opposition in Sporting CP in the Europa League, Arsenal could not find a way to win, losing 5-3 on penalties at the Emirates after two round of 16 draws against the Portuguese team.
Porto are a team capable of inflicting more pain on Arsenal in the Champions League. They have only lost once in their last 15 games, have a respected coach in Sérgio Conceição and, in 41-year-old defender Pepê, have experience and knowledge of the competition that can go a long way to ensuring a frustrating night for the team by Arteta. .
Although Porto have a great pedigree in the Champions League, they have not eliminated an English club in the competition since José Mourinho's team eliminated United in 2003-2004, so Arsenal should progress if they perform as they do. has done in the Premier League this season.
The ghosts of their Champions League history have yet to be exorcised, but this season offers Arsenal an incredible opportunity to emphatically do so.
With nearby Wembley Stadium hosting the final on June 1, the prospect of winning the Champions League in their hometown is an obvious motivation, but the field of competitors should also give Arsenal optimism of winning their first European Cup. .
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who have already qualified for the quarter-finals, are weaker than in previous seasons, as are Barcelona, Napoli, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan . As for the winners of the Borussia Dortmund-PSV Eindhoven match, they will be the team everyone wants to be paired with in Friday's quarter-final draw.
That leaves City, the reigning European champions and favorites to win again this season, but Arsenal finally ended their nine-match losing streak against Guardiola's team by beating them at the Emirates in the Premier League this season, for so they now know the feeling of success against the dominant force in the game.
If Arsenal can overcome the obstacles that Porto will put in their path, they should not fear any remaining team in the Champions League.
But first they have to overcome Porto and that could be the biggest challenge of all. The tension, bad history and tendency to falter in the Champions League continue to haunt Arsenal, so beating Porto will mean more than simply reaching the quarter-finals.
