Mikel Arteta has now sent a clear message to Arsenal supporters ahead of Tuesday night’s clash with Porto.
Mikel Arteta has made it plain what he expects from Arsenal fans when Porto come to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will contest the second-leg of their Champions League round of 16 knockout clash against the Portuguese outfit on Tuesday evening. The visitors come into this match with an advantage, after they snatched a late victory at the Estadio do Dragao in the first-leg.
With Porto holding a 1-0 aggregate advantage, there is no room for error for Arsenal in this match. Whilst the north London club will still be considered favourites and will fancy their chances of turning the tie around and securing passage to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition, in certainly won’t be easy.
As they demonstrated in the first-leg, Porto are a streetwise and combative side who have what it takes to frustrate Arsenal. The Gunners will have to be at their best to get the result they need. Arsenal have been in outstanding form in the Premier League, and now need to carry that over into the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta sounds rallying cry to Arsenal fans ahead of Porto
They will also need the Emirates Stadium crowd behind them from the first whistle. Arteta has now sounded the call for supporters to rouse themselves for this match. Speaking in the wake of his side’s 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday, the Spanish coach said, “this stadium is going to have the energy that you have never seen in your life, because we haven’t done it for 14 years. Bring your noise, bring your energy, your passion into that stadium and something beautiful is going to happen,” as quoted by the club’s official website.
The Emirates Stadium was certainly bouncing on Saturday after Kai Havertz snatched a late winner in that match. That kind of raucous atmosphere will be needed from the off against Porto.
What matters most, though, is what the players can produce on the pitch. The vast majority of this Arsenal squad have never competed at this level in the Champions League before, and this will be an important test for them. The experience offered by the likes of Jorginho and Havertz, who have both won the competition before, could prove invaluable.
Arteta may well also have to find a way to cope without Gabriel Martinelli too, after the Brazilian was spotted on crutches on Saturday. His pace and dynamism will be missed, and either Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Jesus will have to step up in his absence.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
