Arsenal are set to face FC Porto in the Champions League round of 16, and they will be confident of victory.
However, they should not be complacent heading into the knockout round tie with the two-time winners of the competition, and they have several dangerous players to watch out for.
One player to keep an eye on is Brazilian winger Wenderson Galeno. The 26-year-old was vital for the Portuguese side in the group stages, and statistically, he is now level with some of Europe’s best players because of what he did earlier this season.
Porto qualified from a group containing Barcelona, Royal Antwerp and Shakhtar Donetsk, and Galeno made a particularly significant impact against Shakhtar, which proved to be the difference between the Champions League and Europa League.
Porto star Wenderson Galeno outscored Bukayo Saka in Champions League group stage
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has been sensational during his maiden Champions League campaign, scoring three times and providing four assists in five group-stage games.
Saka scored Arsenal’s first goal in the competition since 2017 as he opened the scoring against PSV Eindhoven in matchday one at the Emirates, and also scored in the home games against Sevilla and RC Lens.
This meant that he is joint-top with Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham for Champions League goals and assists this season, with seven in total, but Galeno is also part of this five-man group leading the way.
Galeno scored four times compared to Saka’s three, with three assists, in the group, and registered 2.8 xG and xA combined, higher than Saka’s 2.6.
Wenderson Galeno is a threat for Porto against Arsenal
Unlike Saka, all of Galeno’s goals and assists came in just two of his five appearances, and only against Shakhtar.
In the opening group game, he scored twice and assisted in a 3-1 victory to get Porto’s campaign up and running, and showed great speed and determination to cause Shakhtar problems on the left side.
He did not score or assist again until the final game, despite performing well against Royal Antwerp and Barcelona, and remarkably, he scored twice and assisted twice in a 5-3 win to confirm their qualification for the knockouts.
His goals all came as a result of his aggressive pressing and speed of movement in attack, and Arsenal will need to make sure they are switched on at the back to stop him from causing damage in either leg, both through his own finishing as well as his ability to create for others.
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