Arsenal-Porto: Arsenal To Win at the Emirates

After a few weeks with no midweek game for Arsenal things are back on track this week with the visit of Porto at the Emirates tonight for the second leg of the Champions league round of 16 tie.

They bring with them a 2-1 lead from the game three weeks ago and it's a dangerous lead for them to try to protect as one goal from Arsenal leaves them behind in the tie.

The last time they played Arsenal at home in this competition we beat them 4-0, and since this was only last season I'm sure it's still fresh in their minds. In my opinion, they were a better team then and they will struggle to cope with us tonight as long as we play our own game.

There is no doubt that Porto will do everything they can to slow the game down and trick the referee into believing that they are injured when they are not. We can also expect plenty of tackles as they try to break the game up in an effort to keep us from getting into stride.

We can expect the time wasting to start from the first moment they are in possession and it will continue so long as they hold a lead. I would expect nothing less from a Portuguese team and especially one which were originally drilled under Mourinho.

It's up to Arsenal to find a way around all these obstacles and keep probing for gaps and pushing forward until we get the rewards that our superior football deserves.

With Cesc absent Almunia will take over the captain's armband, although I would prefer to see Vermaelen or Campbell wearing it. You cannot take it from a player, though, unless it is for disciplinary reasons as it was with Gallas last season.

The back four will probably consist of Clichy, Vermaelen, Gallas, and either Eboue or Sagna but I'm not sure which one. With our need to attack, I have a funny feeling it might be Eboue, although the boss seems to be rotating them at the moment and Eboue started on Saturday against Burnley. 

In midfield I expect to see Song anchoring behind Nasri and Diaby and the play maker's role being taken up by Nasri during Cesc's absence. The front three should consist of Walcott, Bendtner, and Arshavin, although there is just as much chance of any or all of Eboue, Rosicky, and Eduardo filling those positions.

That leaves Silvestre, Denilson, Traore, and the three who don't make the front line on the bench with Fabianski and that gives enough attacking options to cope, but I will be concerned if we lose a defender to injury.

I expect us to play with our usual tempo and that every time we look dangerous Porto will take turns to foul us. We should have plenty of set pieces and our goals could come from headers, considering the fact that we scored one in the last meeting and almost scored another.

Bendtner surely can't have as bad a game as he had on Saturday, and I'm hoping that he will bury the first chance that comes his way after getting all the poor attempts out of his system against Burnley.

This is a big game so maybe Arshavin will show some interest and make his mark and if Theo can play as well as he did on Saturday Porto will have a lot on their hands. Nasri will of course be pulling the strings and Diaby should be helping him to do so, and with the full backs pushing on we should see a very aggressive game from Arsenal.

We do have to be careful of Porto on the break as they will look to hit us at every opportunity they can, but I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Arsenal which will leave me very nervous towards the end as Porto look for the second away goal to put them through.

Speaking of defenders, it seems that Gallas is no nearer to making a comeback from his "minor" injury he suffered a month ago and he apparently broke down in training so it is back to square one with him.

I don't know if Campbell can manage two games in a week, which means we could be looking at Silvestre in the centre of our defence against Hull on Saturday, which worries me.

Personally, I would recall Bartley from his loan spell at Sheffield United and play him instead but I can't see the boss doing that. 

With Gallas' contract up in the summer, the boss has said negotiations are ongoing and he expects to stick to his policy of offering him only a one-year contract as he is over 30. I don't think we can afford to lose him and if he wants a two-year contract he should get it.

There are also rumours that Gallas will have to accept a hefty pay cut if he wants to stay, but I would imagine that there will be plenty of interest from elsewhere and he could get a nice signing on fee as well as a good wage.

At this stage I am beginning to feel that we will lose him in the summer and the cost of replacing him would be far more than the cost of a two-year contract while we wait for Bartley and Nordtveit to progress.

A few of our players out on loan did well at the weekend with JET bagging a brace for Doncaster in a 5-2 away win over Bristol City, Simpson scoring for QPR yet again, and Wilshere getting his first goal for Bolton in a crucial 2-1 win for them at West Ham.

It's good to see all these players progressing so well and hopefully a few of them can come back and do it in our first team in a year or so.

Finally for today I won't get to see tonight's match due to work commitments, but I will be keeping in touch in the first half via Twitter and via my phone in the second half.

As I make my train journey home I'll be very nervous and I will be constantly updating the score on my phone while hoping for the best.

Well, that's it for today.

See you all tomorrow.