Arsenal vs Sporting CP Preview

After their impressive weekend win over Fulham in the Premier League, Arsenal will turn their attention to booking a place in the next stage of the Europa League this Thursday when they take on Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

The Gunners kept their lead at the top of the Premier League table at the weekend with a brilliant 3-0 win over fellow Londoners Fulham.  The win was their sixth game without defeat (W5, D1) since a run of four games without a win last month.

The only blemish in Arsenal’s six-game series was the 2-2 draw against Sporting in the first leg.  So, Mikel Arteta’s side still has much to play for in this fixture.

They will be confident of winning here, though, given their form at home this season and their record against Portuguese sides.  The Gunners have seven wins from nine home games against Portuguese clubs in European competition (D1, L1) and will hope they can tip the balance in their favour at the Emirates.

Sporting Lisbon followed up their 2-2 draw with Arsenal last Thursday with a brilliant 3-0 win over Boavista in the Portuguese league.  That win extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven games (W5, D2) and kept them firmly within the European spots in the league.

The Portuguese side have progressed from their previous six ties against English sides in the knock-out stages of UEFA’s second-tier club competition so they may fancy they can pull off an upset.  However, the Lions are winless in their last nine away games against English opposition in major European competition (D4, L5) so this isn’t a walk in the park for them.

Their travelling record is equally uninspiring in the UEL knock-out phase (W2, D5, L8), though they can perhaps take heart from the fact one of those triumphs came in their last such game – a 4-0 win against Midtjylland.