On the back of a brilliant spell in Champions League, Sporting head to another Premier League giant Arsenal in Round 5 of UCL. The Lions host the game at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday, 26 November. The Gunners make an appearance in this game after breaking their winless run with a victory over Nottingham Forest in English top flight.
Sporting vs Arsenal: Match Preview
Ahead of this clash, Sporting have displayed incredible form, staying unbeaten with 17 victories and one draw. It also includes their remarkable start to Champions League this season with three victories and a draw in four rounds. Being only one of five sides to remain undefeated, Green and Whites are second in the UCL table, two points behind leader Liverpool. The departure of manager Amorim hasn’t slowed Sporting, as evidenced by their dominant 6-0 triumph against Amarante in the Taca de Portugal.
On the flip side, Arsenal finally managed to arrest their four-match winless run in Premier League with a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest. The inconsistent form away from Emirate Stadium has also affected their UCL campaign as they secured just two wins in four rounds. The visiting games against Atalanta and Inter Mila resulted in a draw and a defeat respectively, getting them to the twelfth position. Before this road matchup, Arsenal will be under pressure of an away winless run of three games, losing two.
Sporting vs Arsenal: Head-to-Head Record
Sporting and Arsenal have faced off four times in the Europa League, with both teams winning once. In the last meeting, Sporting knocked out Arsenal from the Round of 16 of season 2022/23 on penalty shootouts, playing away from Estadio Jose Alvalade.
| Date | Match | Competition |
| 17/03/23 | Arsenal 1 (3-5) 1 Sporting | Europa League |
| 09/03/23 | Sporting 2-2 Arsenal | Europa League |
| 09/11/18 | Arsenal 0-0 Sporting | Europa League |
| 25/10/18 | Sporting 0-1 Arsenal | Europa League |
Sporting vs Arsenal: Team News and Predicted Lineups
Sporting’s preparation is only affected by the injury-related absence of Pedro Goncalves and Nuno Santos. Meanwhile, Arsenal will be without their long-term absentees Takehiro, Kieran Tierney and Ben White due to injuries.
Sporting Predicted Lineup
Israel (GK); Reis, Inacio, Diomande; Quenda, Morita, Hjulmand, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Edwards
Arsenal Predicted Lineup
Raya (GK); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Sporting vs Arsenal: Match Prediction
Having an impressive home record and especially a victory over Manchester City, Sporting will be brimming with confidence to host Arsenal. In contrary, Arsenal have registered only one victory in the previous six away fixtures, that too against Preston in EFL Cup. However, the Gunners have not suffered a 90-minute defeat in any of their four head-to-head matches with Sporting. Seeing the current scenario, a victory for Arsenal looks doubtful in the present context, though a draw remains a realistic outcome.
Sporting vs Arsenal Predicted Result: 2-2 Draw
