Arsenal Could Get Knocked Out of Two Competitions If They Lose to Porto in UCL Clash

• Arsenal are on the brink of a Champions League round of 16 elimination
• The Gunners will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit vs Porto on March 12
• Elimination will see them get knocked out of another competition as well

Arsenal's latest renaissance will face a stern test when they welcome Porto for the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash.

The Gunners will play the Portuguese giants at the Emirates Stadium on March 12, looking to overturn a slender 1-0 lead and progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Porto employed the literal use of dark arts in football in the first leg, an aspect Mikel Arteta's side will need to overcome if they are to make it to the next round.

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However, while elimination from the Champions League looks like the most immediate prospect, a loss tonight will equally see the North London side lose their chance to compete for more silverware at the revamped FIFA Club World Cup next year.

The world governing body has made changes to the club competition, which will see an increased number of 32 teams compete for the title from next year.

The format of the new competition, as explained on FIFA's website, will see the UEFA Champions League winners from 2021 to 2024 receive automatic tickets. The four teams will be joined by eight other teams determined by UEFA's club coefficients within the same four-year period.

Arsenal's UEFA ranking

This, in essence, means that Arsenal's only route to the inaugural competition to be held in the United States will be to win this season's Champions League.

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Their coefficients in the last four years are considerably poor compared to other teams, considering they were absent from Europe's top club competition for six seasons. The current ranking has them in 22nd place, below teams like Manchester United and Benfica, who performed dismally in this season's Champions League.

Apart from the 1-0 defeat to Portugal, Arsenal have hardly put a foot wrong since they returned from a warm weather training camp in Dubai. They have scored 33 goals in eight games to rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Why Arsenal will beat Porto

Sports Brief has also listed five reasons why Arsenal will beat Porto in the second leg of their Champions League clash.

Arsenal are angling to play in the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2010 season but will need to respond after a lacklustre performance in Portugal.

They beat Brentford 2-1 over the weekend to set them up nicely for the European showdown.