MIKEL ARTETA is banking on bravery from his players and a raucous Emirates crowd to secure a first Champions League quarter-final spot for 14 years.
Arsenal will seek to avoid elimination at this stage for the eighth time in a row when they face Porto tonight a record stretching back to the Arsene Wenger days. The last time they progressed was in 2010.
Manager Arteta said: "If you see the stats, it is the reality.
"Let's try to change it. How? Prepare the best possible way. Make a lot of right decisions and then be brave. You cannot wait in these situations, you have to go and make things happen. That's the approach.
"Knockout games are different. You saw it when we went out in the Europa League after going ahead and losing in the last minute, and against Sporting on penalties. The details and the margins are so small. That is a huge part of these knockout games." Porto, who prevented Arsenal registering a shot on target for the first time in two years in the first leg last month, won 1-0 by Galeno's late wonder strike.
This story is from the March 12, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
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This story is from the March 12, 2024 edition of Daily Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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