CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL 1ST LEG PREVIEW: FC PORTO (7-4) v ARSENAL FC (5-4 – Fav); Draw: 11-5

PORTO: The Portuguese league leaders were a bit of a surprise package in the last round, ousting perennial French champs – and continental underachievers – Lyon in what turned out to be a very one-sided tie. After the disappointment of finishing 3rd domestically last season, they’re carrying a renewed fire in their bellies that’s turning them into a legitimate dark horse in this campaign. In the group stages, they won all but two games – home and away to Barcelona, the first of which was anything but a washout, with the deciding goal only arriving 11mins from time. The weaker side on paper, they have the very recent experience of winning it all in Europe, while we’ve become something of perpetual quarter-finalists; it’ll be a Herculean battle to reverse history – Porto will make sure of that.

TEAM NEWS: André Bahia (SW, D C, strained knee ligaments) is out for up to a month; Sandro (D/WB/M L, torn calf muscle) will be out of commission for 2mths.
Thomas Gravesen (DM) is on loan from Real Madrid and cup-tied for Porto.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
DIEGO (AM C): You can’t really look further than the Brazilian midfield maestro, who has youth and an abundance of skill and maturity on his side. Already attracting strong interest from Barcelona, Juventus and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal, he is a key cog in the engine room for the home side. BENNY MCCARTHY (ST) is the club’s leading scorer this season, with 12goals from only 19 games; if he gets a run-out, his continental rivals Touré and Yobo will have their hands full keeping him under wraps. MARTIN STRANZL (D C) is the key cog in their defensive lineup, and will need to be at his sharpest to fend off the dreaded away goal.

ARSENAL: Chelsea put the kibosh on our hopes to coast to domestic success, meaning that we’re now fighting tooth-and-nail on three fronts. We visit Newcastle 3days after this, which is a major, major test, and coming on the heels of a European bout – and that coming on the heels of internationals – man-management will be key. We’re not entirely unfamiliar with Porto, having faced them twice in the group stages last season with mixed results. We were thoroughly 2nd-best at the Estádio do Dragão despite great efforts from Jens Lehmann and Ryan Smith, falling behind 2-0 before a Bergkamp goal gave the loss some more respectability. In the return, we twice let 2-goal leads be halved before holding on for a roller coaster 4-3 win. If anything, we’ve improved mightily since then, but so has Porto, and this is going to be a brutal test of our skills. There are no favorites going into this – it’ll depend on who wants it more.

TEAM NEWS: We’re boasting a pretty healthy roster for a change, save for Philippe Senderos (D LC, broken leg – thigh), out for 2mths, and David Bentley (AM RLC – shin splits), who is out for another 2-3wks. Gonzalo (SW, D C) has been allowed to travel for international duty with Argentina.
Valeri Bojinov (AM R, ST) is one booking away from suspension.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
VALERI BOJINOV (AM R, ST): The burgeoning striker has developed a habit of shining in cup tourneys, having netted an incredible 9 times in 7 European games this season. With Iaquinta out of form, a lot of the scoring burden will rest on his shoulders, although he will be partnered with THIERRY HENRY (ST), perhaps the best strike partner an up-and-coming hitman could ask for. KOLO TOURÉ (D RC) and JOSEPH YOBO (D C, DM), whose successful partnership has been a very bright light in a rather sterling season thus far, will have to stand up as tall as ever tonight.

ARSENAL LINEUP (4-4-2):
Eboué (D/WB R), Touré (D RC), Yobo (D C, DM), Cole (D RL, WB L)
Fabregas (M RC), Hleb (AM C), Gilberto (DM), Ryan Smith (AM LC, ST)
Bojinov (AM R, ST), Henry (ST)

BENCH: Manuel Almunia (GK), Fredrik Ljungberg (AM RL), Mathieu Flamini (D R, DM), Sol Campbell (D C), Vicenzo Iaquinta (ST), Nicklas Bendtner (ST), Gaël Clichy (D/WB/M L)

It’s a major, major gamble starting Ryan Smith on the left, but the lad’s got to grow sometime. Besides, the last time we visited Porto he started, and excelled, although we lost. Either Hleb or Fabregas or both will have to make way as we keep an eye on Newcastle on the weekend.

PORTO FORM (ALL CONTESTS): WDWWW
ARSENAL FORM (ALL CONTESTS): WWWLW

PORTO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RUN:
4-1 Olympique Lyonnais (H) – 1st Knockout Round, Leg 1
2-1 Olympique Lyonnais (A) – 1st Knockout Round, Leg 2

ARSENAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RUN:
3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk (A) – 1st Knockout Round, Leg 1
3-0 Shakhtar Donetsk (H) – 1st Knockout Round, Leg 2

PAST MEETINGS:
POR 2 ARS 1 – Champions League Group B (Sept 13, ’05)
ARS 4 POR 3 – Champions League Group B (Nov 23, ’05)

~ by savageternal on April 4, 2009.