Champions League: Porto hosts Arsenal, Barca visits Napoli

Champions League round of 16 first legs underway; Arsenal, Napoli, Barcelona face managerial uncertainty.

Arsenal will visit Porto on Wednesday with the hope of returning with maximum points, will Porto let them? (Photo credit: 90Mins)

The first legs of the Champions League round of 16 continue this week with two games already played. PSV and BVB settled for a 1-1 draw while high-flying Inter Milan beat Atletico Madrid 1-0.

The first leg games conclude on Wednesday with Arsenal visiting FC Porto while Barcelona will play host to reigning Italian champions SS Napoli. The latter two are on the same wavelength, both struggling with clouds over their managerial positions.

You must wonder how and why Napoli handed Walter Mazarri the job after Rudi Garcia was shown the exit door, he has failed to inspire, the talents at his disposal aren’t ticking and it’s just a matter of time before they implode.

Barcelona already started the process of hiring a new manager after Xavi Hernandes announced he will be stepping down from his role as the head coach of the club at the end of the season, the club is on a downward spiral, you don’t expect too much from them this season.

Porto is an organized side, they have their own troubles, but they’re ever present in the Champions League knockout rounds, they will not be an easy nut for the Gunners to crack at the Estadio De Dragao on Wednesday.

For the Gunners, Arsenal is in a good place and should ride on their current momentum. They have scored eleven games in their last two games, making that twenty-one from their last five, they have only conceded twice in that sequence.

Arsenal slipped to third on the log in the Premier League after Manchester City beat Brentford on Tuesday night but, they’re only two points off the top of the log. With Liverpool in cup action this weekend, Arsenal could go top with a win over Newcastle.

The beauty of it all for the Gunners is in taking each game as they come, each opponent on the merit of their strength, and see how they deal with each adversity, they won’t play Burnley and a bad West Ham side every week but they also beat Liverpool cleanly on their current run this year as well.