Martin Odegaard warns Arsenal to be ready for a ‘lot of time-wasting’ from Porto in crucial Champions League tie… but believes the Gunners are better prepared to deal with the Portuguese side’s gamesmanship

Martin Odegaard has warned Arsenal to expect ‘a lot of waste of time’ from Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

The Premier League leaders must overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at the Emirates to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in fourteen years.

Galeno’s injury-time winner was the difference in Portugal three weeks ago as the home side’s approach came under scrutiny.

There were 36 fouls in the match – a season-high in the Champions League – and the ball was in play for just 51.6 percent of the match.

Porto’s plan to disrupt Arsenal’s rhythm worked brilliantly as the Gunners failed to register a shot on target in a match in all competitions for the first time since 2022.

Arsenal failed to register a shot on target in the first leg for the first time in two years

The Premier League leaders came unstuck in Portugal and never found their rhythm

Arsenal have since won three Premier League games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just two.

Odegaard wants his team to impose their style from the start on Tuesday night, but warned them to be wary of Porto’s ‘dark arts’.

‘We already showed in that match what we learned in Porto, hopefully we can do even better on Tuesday. First of all, we want to play our game,” he said.

“We don’t want to focus too much on them and what they do. We want to play our game and that is the most important thing.

‘We had to deal with many different situations, which meant that a lot of time was wasted. We had to keep our emotions in check throughout the game and I think we did that brilliantly.”

Odegaard also believes Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday evening was ideal preparation for the Gunners ahead of the second leg against Porto.

The Bees successfully frustrated Mikel Arteta’s men for large parts of the match and created their own chances, before their resistance was finally broken by Kai Havertz four minutes from time.

The Gunners were left frustrated in a match with a season-high 36 fouls

Mikel Arteta has called on his players to be brave and seize the opportunities in front of them

“There are so many different things happening in every game,” Odegaard said.

‘This match (against Porto) was one where the ball was out of play a lot, with a lot of stops and starts and restarts and all that.

“I think you saw that against Brentford too and I think we dealt with it brilliantly. I think that was good practice.”

The omens heading into the second leg are good for Arsenal. The last time the Gunners reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League was also the last time they qualified after overturning a deficit in the first leg.

Incidentally, they did the same against Porto, losing 2-1 before beating the Emirates 5-0.

And Arteta has urged his players to be brave on Tuesday night and embrace the ‘wonderful opportunity’ before them.

“(We) prepare in the best way possible, make a lot of right decisions and then be courageous,” he said.

‘In these situations you can’t wait; you have to make things happen. That is the approach on Tuesday.

‘We need that sound, we need them (the crowd) to play every ball with us and we also need that emotional control to understand that the game will go through certain phases. And we have to be very intelligent to get what we want.

‘It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience one of those nights. It’s been fourteen years, so whatever we put into it will be worth it.”