Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon Preview

• Tweet
• Pin It

A place in the Europa League quarter-finals will be at stake when Arsenal lock horns with Sporting Libson at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, with most football predictions pointing to another comfortable win for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta’s men were superb against Fulham on Sunday as they registered a comfortable 3-0 win to restore their five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League.

Unlike their win over Bournemouth earlier this month, the Gunners were quite convincing at Craven Cottage and decided the fate of the game before the second-half.

Gabriel scored the opening goal after 21 minutes with Leandro Trossard the provider.

The Belgian then crossed for Gabriel Martinelli to head home the second before providing the delivery for Martin Odegaard to net another in first-half stoppage time.

The Cottagers tried to make a comeback after the interval but the Gunners remained in complete control as they held out for an excellent 3-0 success.

Arsenal will now turn their attention to the Europa League where they played out a 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon in the first-leg of their round of 16 tie.

Arteta featured some of his key players in the fixture which suggested he is not only focused on winning the Premier League title but is also motivated to add a European trophy to his CV.

The North Londoners netted the first goal through William Saliba after 22 minutes but their lead didn’t last long as Goncalo Inacio nodded home the equaliser.

The home side added another early in the second-half through Paulinho but an own-goal from Hidemasa Morita meant the two sides will start on level terms in the second-leg.

Following the thrilling home draw, Ruben Amorim’s side hosted Boavista in the Primeira Liga where they registered a comfortable 3-0 victory.

The Lions found themselves two goals ahead by the end of the first-half thanks to Nuno Santos and an own-goal from Salvador Agra.

Paulinho then added a third in second-half stoppage time as Sporting claimed their 16th league victory.

Match Preview

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta’s men have been outstanding throughout this season. With 11 matches remaining in the league, they are top favourites to win the Premier League title. The North London outfit bounced back emphatically after enduring a three-game winless run in February as they picked up five wins on the trot in the English top-flight.

The league crown will be their top priority this season but they also look determined to do well in the European competition. The Gunners will have home advantage on Thursday against Sporting but they will have to be more solid defensively. The two goals they conceded in the first-leg were poor and they will need to defend better at the Emirates Stadium.

Sporting Lisbon

Winning the Primeira Liga title looks beyond Ruben Amorim’s side now as they are 15 points adrift of league leaders Benfica. The Lions made an indifferent start to the season and now despite being impressive in recent weeks, they are fourth in the league standings with 50 points from 24 matches.

Sporting will now be focusing all their energies on the Europa League, a competition they came close to winning in 2005 when they eventually lost the final to CSKA Moscow.

The Portuguese side managed to create several goal scoring chances in the first-leg against Arsenal and could have come away with a 3-1 lead. But lack of finishing and poor defending let them down as they were forced to settle for a draw in the end.

Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon Prediction

The Gunners have been impressive at the Emirates Stadium this season. Mikel Arteta could rest some of his key players but they are still likely to prevail over Sporting on Thursday.

Arsenal 2-0 Sporting Lisbon

• Tweet
• Pin It