Arsenal travel to Lisbon to take on Sporting CP in what promises to be an action-packed UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Sporting CP have had a good enough season based on their form, especially at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, where they are on a sequence of 17 straight wins across all competitions ahead of the visit of Arsenal. The latest of those came on Friday when they defeated Santa Clara with a 4-2 scoreline, and they are expected to put up a fight, as Rui Borges’s men are eager to finish their season on a high.
The hosts are edging closer to FC Porto in the Primeira Liga, with only five points separating the two teams, with the defending champions having played a game less. Borges will want his players to completely switch focus towards the task at hand in the Champions League, as the manager might feel this is the right time to face Arsenal, given the kind of form they are in currently.
Sporting CP will be particularly buoyed by the way they entered the quarter-finals. Borges’s men became only the fifth team to overturn a three-goal deficit in a Champions League knockout tie, as they defeated Bodo/Glimt 5-0 at the Jose Alvalade in the second leg. However, they have a bigger task ahead, as Arsenal come visiting, with Sporting CP unable to beat the North Londoners in regulation time the last five times they met them.
Over in North London, there might be a sense of deflation when it comes to the mood of the players following consecutive cup exits. Before the international break, Arsenal lost the EFL Cup final to Manchester City, but the bigger shock came on Saturday, as Southampton upset the Gunners to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta will want his players to produce a big response in the other competitions they are still alive in. Starting with the Champions League, a competition where Arsenal are still regarded as one of the favourites, the Gunners boss will want a good enough result that allows them comfort in the return leg at the Emirates next week.
Arsenal are into the quarter-finals following their second-leg victory over Bayer Leverkusen, as Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice quashed all doubts from the first-leg draw to secure a deserved win. Moreover, Arteta will want his players to draw inspiration from their own visit to the Jose Alvalade Stadium last season, when they thumped Sporting CP 5-1 in the league phase.
Team News & Tactics
Sporting CP
Rui Borges has a strong enough squad to compete with Arsenal, but he must make do without a host of his first-team stars. The likes of Fotis Ioannidis, Geovany Quenda and Nuno Santos are missing out with injuries. Two players are doubtful to make the squad, as Luis Guilherme has an ankle issue to deal with, while Ivan Fresneda had an illness over the weekend, which makes him a touch-and-go case.
The big miss will be skipper Morten Hjulmand, who is suspended for this encounter. Daniel Braganca could pair up with Hidemasa Morita in a midfield double pivot, with Hjulmand likely to start in the second leg.
The big focus in the Sporting CP squad will be on Luis Suarez, who has scored in each of their last three Champions League games on home soil, as he will lead the line. Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincao, and Pedro Goncalves will all provide support in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Silva; Vagiannidis, Diomande, Inacio, Mangas; Braganca, Morita; Catamo, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez
Arsenal
There are still conflicting reports over the injury issues at Arsenal, which makes it somewhat difficult to pinpoint the participation of some of the key stars in the squad. With the Gunners conducting open training, there was a sense of relief as Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice, and Leandro Trossard were present.
Should all three be deemed match fit, they will start, but there was no Bukayo Saka in training despite the understanding that no injury was reported during the international break. Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie, and Jurrien Timber were also absent from the open training sessions, although the latter is still expected to make a return sooner rather than later, probably on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta is expected to revert to his usual midfield setup, with Martin Zubimendi and Rice featuring there, while he will also reinstate his key defensive partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel. With Hincapie absent, Riccardo Calafiori is pencilled in to start at left-back.
The big focus will be on Viktor Gyokeres as he returns to the Jose Alvalade Stadium, and he will be key to unlocking the Sporting CP defence. Trossard could start on the left flank, while Saka is widely expected to return fit for this one. If not, there is a chance that young Max Dowman might get the nod, while Martin Odegaard will play in the attacking midfield role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gyokeres
Key Stats
- Sporting CP have won their last 17 home games across all competitions.
- Sporting CP have not managed to beat Arsenal in regulation time across their last five meetings.
- Arsenal are undefeated in the UEFA Champions League this season.
- Arsenal have scored in every Champions League match this season.
- Arsenal have been eliminated from five of their eight UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties. However, they beat Real Madrid at this stage last season and are looking to reach the semi-finals in consecutive campaigns for the first time.
Player to Watch
Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal are currently experiencing a dip in form, having lost their last two games across all competitions, but Viktor Gyokeres has been scoring rather regularly. He netted four times during the international break, including a hat-trick against Ukraine and then the late winner against Poland to help Sweden reach the World Cup.
He then continued that scoring form against Southampton, and Mikel Arteta will hope Gyokeres fires Arsenal in this first leg against his former side, Sporting CP. It is the first time the Swede returns to the Jose Alvalade Stadium following his summer move, and his determination to score against his old employers will be key in this contest.
Prediction
Sporting CP 1-2 Arsenal
Sporting CP are arguably one of the strongest European sides on home soil, be it in the Champions League or their league games. Hence, they are not someone to be taken lightly, especially after how they dismantled Bodo/Glimt in the previous round. However, the challenge of beating a wounded Arsenal side this season is playing with fire, as the North Londoners can punish them severely.
That is what Mikel Arteta will want to see from his side as a response to back-to-back cup losses. There could be obvious difficulties in playing an away Champions League game of this magnitude, but the Gunners are well equipped to take at least a slender lead back to the Emirates for the return leg.