"We are confident" - Gabriel Martinelli takes a cheeky dig at FC Porto when asked about Arsenal's 1-0 loss

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has taken a cheeky dig at his side's Round of 16 Champions League opponents Porto, calling them a 'lesser team'.

The Gunners failed to impress in their first-leg fixture against the Portuguese outfit, losing the game 1-0 and failing to register a shot on target (February 21).

However, Martinelli is confident in the London giants' abilities to turn this match around in the reverse fixture.

He told TNT Brazil (via Tribal Football):

"We have to minimize the mistakes and score the goals we need. We are confident. We know the potential of our team. We are going to play at home and we are going to go all out to win the game."

"Sometimes you don't lose Championships in big games, but in the game against lesser teams. I think you have to take every game seriously and be very focused because every game is important," the Brazilian added.

The Gunners host Porto for the second leg of the tie at the Emirates on Tuesday (March 12). Before that, Arsenal will need to beat Bretford on Saturday (March 9) to apply pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title.

A lot of Arsenal's good work comes from their wide players Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. So far this season, the former has scored eight goals and bagged five assists in 32 matches across competitions.

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Pep Guardiola seems to suggest Arsenal as main title rivals over Liverpool

Pep Guardiola

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola seemingly hinted that Arsenal are a much bigger threat than Liverpool in the title race. Currently, the Reds are atop the standings, one point ahead of the Cityzens and two clear of the Gunners.

However, the Merseysiders often need magic late on to secure all three points. Most recently, Darwin Nunez earned the Reds a stoppage-time winner against Nottingham Forest (March 2).

Pointing this out, Guardiola said (via talkSPORT):

"Arsenal is already there, last season they were our biggest rivals. Look how they play. Liverpool need more than 90 minutes to win the game, sometimes more."

"The Gunners sometimes need just 25 minutes to win the games. That's why they are there," he added.

Manchester City and Liverpool are set to face each other at Anfield on Sunday (March 10), which could prove vital in the Premier League title race.