Sporting v Arsenal predictions: Strong travellers set to continue trend

Where to watch Sporting v Arsenal

BT Sport 2, Thursday 5.45pm

Best bet

Arsenal
2pts 11-10 general

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Sporting v Arsenal team news

Sporting
Midfielder Manuel Ugarte picked up his third European booking last time out so is suspended, while long-term absentee Daniel Braganca remains sidelined. Former Gunner Hector Bellerin may have to settle for a spot on the bench.

Arsenal
Leandro Trossard will miss out after picking up a groin injury against Bournemouth, joining Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah in the treatment room. Kieran Tierney misses out through illness but Gabriel Jesus could be back.

Sporting v Arsenal predictions

A last-gasp winner from Reiss Nelson on Saturday helped Arsenal retain their five-point gap at the head of the Premier League and the Gunners can carry the feelgood vibes around the club into this Europa League round of 16 clash against Sporting.

Mikel Arteta’s side cruised to top spot in their group, with the only blot on their copybook a 2-0 defeat at the hands of PSV when qualification was already guaranteed.

Aside from that loss, the Premier League side won all five of their group games, conceding just once.

After their slight wobble in early February, the Gunners have now won four on the spin, netting 12 times in the process.

Two of those wins have been particularly dramatic victories, as they scored twice in injury time to beat Aston Villa and came from 2-0 down against Bournemouth to score a 97th-minute winner at the weekend.

Their opponents have already played Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham twice this season, with Sporting taking four points from Spurs en route to a third-place finish in their Champions League group.

The Portuguese side took only three points from their other four matches, however, and had to settle for a spot in the Europa League as a result.

After a competitive 1-1 draw in the first leg of their knockout clash with Midjtylland, an early red card for their Danish counterparts in the reverse fixture effectively killed the tie and Sporting ran out 4-0 winners.

Manager Ruben Amorim has been consistently linked with a bigger job given how well his side have performed, reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2009 last season.

Sporting also won the 2020-21 Primeira Liga but are well off the pace this time, 15 points behind runaway leaders Benfica.

Former Tottenham man Marcus Edwards caught the eye with two goals and an assist in the Champions League group stages and he is a player the Gunners will have to nullify.

However, despite their likely rotation, Mikel Arteta’s side should be too strong for their hosts and can take a first-leg win back to London.

Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five Europa League ties and that defensive solidity should be enough to see them secure a narrow win in Portugal.

The Gunners have won 13 of their 18 away games in all competitions this season and should be able to bolster that figure with another success here.

Key stat

Arsenal have won five of their six Europa League games this season

Probable teams

Sporting (3-4-2-1): Adan; Inacio, Coates, St Juste; Esgaio, Tanlongo, Morita, Reis; Edwards, Paulinho; Goncalves
Subs: Neto, Israel, Trincao, Issahaku, Bellerin, Diomande, Arthur, Cabral, Chermiti

Arsenal (4-3-3): Turner; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe
Subs: Ramsdale, White, Kiwior, Partey, Nelson, Vieira, Holding, Hein, Jesus