‘The past is irrelevant’: Arteta says poor record will not affect Arsenal at Porto

Mikel Arteta said his team, including himself as a manager, lack the experience of being in the last 16. Photograph: Nigel Keene/ProSports/Shutterstock

Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side have no need to feel the weight of history on their shoulders when they face Porto in a bid to reach their first Champions League quarter-final since 2010 on Wednesday.

Arsenal sailed through to the knockout stages on their return to Europe’s top tier this season but their recent record in the last 16 makes grim reading. They failed to clear this hurdle in seven straight seasons last decade, five of them when Arteta was a player at the club. Now, as manager, he believes the past has no bearing on their prospects.