Sporting CP-Arsenal is a Europa League round of 16 first leg match to be played on Thursday at 18:45: TV, line-ups, predictions.
In England there are questions as to whether the Europa League might be getting in the way of an Arsenal side that is in the thick of the Premier League title race at the moment. Domestically, the Gunners continue to look down on everyone, including two-time reigning champions Manchester City, the only ones so far trying to hold their own.
After the last day of fixtures, the Londoners have maintained their five-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s Citizens. That was thanks to a heart-stopping 3-2 victory over a resilient Bournemouth side on Saturday, who came within a whisker of taking at least a point from a fortress like the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s team had made life complicated by going down by two goals: they woke up late but still managed to overturn the Cherries, scoring the decisive goal in the last of the seven minutes of added time thanks to a torpedo from Reiss Nelson, which brought down the stadium. Important signs that give even more confidence and courage to a group that is achieving a sensational feat, given that the initial objective was to finish in the top four. Last autumn, meanwhile, it was crucial to win the Europa League round, so that they would not have to face the play-offs and play two more games.
Arsenal are going like a train again
Arsenal did it by coming out on top in the head-to-head with Psv Eindhoven, who ended the group stage two points behind the Gunners. Arteta and his men, however, did not snub the competition at all, winning five out of six matches.
Sporting players
The round of 16 awaits one of the relegated Champions League champions, Sporting CP, who already had to face another club from the English capital, Tottenham, in the autumn. Ruben Amorim’s men had to go through the play-offs to challenge Arsenal: they qualified at the expense of Denmark’s Midtjylland, who were overwhelmed 4-0 in Denmark after drawing 1-1 in Lisbon. In the Primeira Liga, the green-and-whites are long out of the title race and even risk missing out on third place. They are coming off two wins in a row against Estoril and Portimonense, but going forward in the Europa League is one of the few realistic goals left to avoid a disastrous season.
The Prediction
The only precedents between the two teams are fairly recent. Sporting CP and Arsenal played each other in the 2018-19 edition of the Europa League: the balance was a victory for the Gunners and a draw. The Londoners – who could give space to the returning Gabriel Jesus in this match – don’t seem to have any intention of taking the international engagement lightly. After all, they have a long enough squad to fight on both fronts. They are having a fantastic season so far and are slight favourites again in the Lisbon trip, against a Sporting side struggling with the heavy absence of Ugarte in midfield. It cannot be ruled out, however, that the Lusitanians will score at least one goal.
Sporting CP-Arsenal matchday squad
- SPORTING CP (3-4-3): Adan; Inacio, Coates, St Juste; Esgaio, Tanlongo, Morita, Reis; Edwards, Paulinho, Goncalves.
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Turner; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Jorginho; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Martinelli.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
