Although their attention is firmly fixed on the Premier League title race, Arsenal head to Lisbon for their first European knockout tie of the season, and we have all of the latest team news, up-to-date odds and predicted line-ups – read on for our Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal preview.
Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal Preview
Sporting Lisbon narrowly missed out on securing safe passage to the Champions League knockout stages after falling to a gutting defeat against Frankfurt on the final matchday.
The Portuguese side, who are getting their season back on track after falling behind Primeira Liga frontrunners Benfica and Porto, managed to remain unbeaten against Arsenal’s neighbours Tottenham across their two games, winning one and drawing the other in London.
Arsenal, therefore, will be well aware of the threat they pose heading into Thursday’s first-leg, but the Gunners are enjoying their most spectacular season in recent memory. With their eyes fixed on domestic silverware, you would be fooled into thinking they may not be fully invested in this competition. However, Mikel Arteta and the club’s board have moved to improve the squad’s depth in order to compete for every trophy possible.
The Gunners won five of their six Europa League group stage fixtures, and conceded the joint-second least in the opening stage of the competition.
Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal Odds
- Sporting Lisbon @ 5/2
- Draw @ 12/5
- Arsenal @ 11/10
Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal Team News
Sporting manager Ruben Amorim will be without midfielder duo Daniel Braganca and Manuel Ugarte, who are ruled out with a knee injury and suspension respectively. However, they will likely field a near-full strength XI with the Europa League presenting perhaps their best chance of returning to the Champions League this season.
Sporting Lisbon Predicted Line-up: Adan; Diomande, Coates, Inacio; Bellerin, Morita, Pedro Goncalves, Reis; Edwards, Paulinho, Santos
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta will likely be without Leandro Trossard for this tie after he went off after 20 minutes against Bournemouth, while Eddie Nketiah may also miss this tie with his fitness yet to be determined.
Long-term absentee Mohamed Elneny is the only serious injury concern, but expect a much-changed Arsenal XI, which may include a debut for January signing Jakbub Kiwior in the heart of defence.
Arsenal Predicted Line-up: Turner; Tomiyasu, Holding, Kiwior, Tierney; Jorginho, Vieira, Xhaka; Nelson, Martinelli, Smith Rowe
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