Arsenal could be knocked out of two competitions in one night should they lose to Porto in the Champions League.
On Tuesday, Premier League leaders Arsenal welcome Porto to the Emirates, looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years.
Three weeks ago, Porto came out on top in a scrappy affair that saw more fouls than any other Champions League game this season.
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Arsenal midfield Declan Rice subsequently claimed that Arsenal needed to be more savvy, while manager Mikel Arteta urged his players to be street-wise.
And in a peculiar turn of events, should Arsenal be knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday, it will also see their chances of qualifying for a revamped Club World Cup in 2025 also dissipate.
The tournament is scheduled to take place next year in the United States from June 15 to July 13 and is set to include 32 teams, including the winners of the four previous continental championships.
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The 12 teams qualifying from UEFA will include the winners of the Champions League between 2021 and 2024, as well as additional teams to be determined by a club ranking in those four years.
Only two teams from one country can qualify for the Club World Cup, with Chelsea and Manchester City having won the Champions League between 2021 and 2024.
Arsenal can only join them if they win this season's Champions League, meaning that defeat to Porto would eliminate them from contention.
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Ahead of Tuesday’s encounter William Saliba said he was confident Arsenal could get a positive result against Porto.
Asked if the Gunners have learned from their first-leg defeat, Saliba said: “Yes. We know they are smart and have experience.
“We have to compete with that and now we are ready. We have to win and we will give everything — we can’t wait to play.”
Topics: Arsenal, Champions League, Mikel Arteta, Porto, Premier League, William Saliba
Chris Byfield