Wenger set to resist call for changes

Mauled by the Tigers of Hull City on Saturday, Arsenal must lick their wounds and prepare to brave the Dragons of Porto in their second Champions League group match at the Emirates Stadium this evening. Having scraped a fortunate draw in their first game, 1-1 away to Dynamo Kiev, they are already two points behind the former European champions and need a victory to improve their standing in the table as well as to limit any psychological damage done by the weekend's upset.

Arsène Wenger, who offered rare public criticism of his players in the aftermath of that game, was more conciliatory yesterday, insisting that he still believes Arsenal can supply the one missing element on his CV by winning the competition. Runners-up to Barcelona three years ago, they have only twice failed to progress beyond the opening stage, almost a decade ago, when playing home games at Wembley.

Teams like Seville, Milan – and Porto – have failed where Hull succeeded in achieving a victory at the Emirates and Wenger believes European competition will bring the best out of his side again. "We have learnt from a hard game that in fact you need the Champions League focus in every single game," he said yesterday. "If we are guilty of something, it is maybe because we couldn't get the focus to the right level to take our chances. I believe we have not to make too much of it. We lost the game, but we have enough strengths within the club and within the team to deal with that."

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He even claimed – and it might lead to derisive laughter on Humberside – that if Saturday's match was played 100 times, Arsenal would only lose it once. "This is a different competition," he added. "We had a draw at Kiev and know the home games will be decisive in our qualification. Everybody feels we should not have any chance of winning the Champions League. I believe we have enough quality to do it. That is what we want to show."

Although there has been speculation that several players might be dropped against Porto, the manager is now expected to resist wholesale changes. Samir Nasri, the young French midfielder signed this summer, is available again after injury and will probably replace Emmanuel Eboué. Theo Walcott is due a rest and Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela will both be hoping for a start after appearing as substitutes on Saturday. But Kolo Touré will not be moved into a holding midfield position, and Wenger may even keep him and William Gallas together at the back despite talking about a "size problem" in central defence.

"It was a well taken chance," he said of Hull's winning goal which, like the goal Brede Hangeland scored for Fulham in Arsenal's only other defeat this season, came from a corner. "[Daniel] Cousin is very tall, very good in the air and it was a perfect header. It can happen to everybody. If we have one area where we have experience it is at the back in [Gaël] Clichy, Kolo, Gallas and [Bacary] Sagna."

Touré suggested the weight of expectation concerned him more in matches like Saturday's that everyone expected Arsenal to win. "I was scared to play this game," he said. "Sometimes people play the game before it's started and that's a problem because there are no small teams in the Premiership. When I play Man United everybody is thinking it's going to be a tight game but when you play Hull it's harder because everyone expects you to win."

Porto were initially banned from this season's Champions League after being found guilty of corruption domestically five seasons ago, the year they won the competition under Jose Mourinho (who was not among the accused). Last season they were belatedly deducted six points in the Portugese League but still finished 14 points clear at the top.

Only one player remains from the Mourinho team, however, the defender Pedro Emmanuel, and since that triumph they have lost in successive seasons to Chelsea (twice), Liverpool and Arsenal.

Arsenal (possible, 4-4-2): Almunia; Sagna, Touré, Gallas, Clichy; Walcott, Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri; Adebayor, Bendtner.

Porto (possible, 4-2-3-1): Helton; Sapunara, Rolando, Bruno Alves, Nelson Benitez; Fernando, Lucho Gonzalez; Raul Meireles, Guarin, Rodriguez; Lisandro Lopez.

Referee: H Fandel (Germany).