Arsenal return to Europa League action on Thursday evening in Portugal as they take on Sporting CP in a last-16 first leg encounter. The Premier League title likely remains as the priority for Mikel Arteta and his players, but the Europa League presents a great opportunity for the club to win a major trophy.
The league leaders haven't played in the competition since early November with Sporting's European journey this season being vastly different to that of the Gunners. The Portuguese side were initially in the Champions League but suffered a group stage elimination that meant they had to bypass a knockout play-off match to get the last-16 stage of the Europa League.
Ruben Amorim's side were drawn against FC Midtjylland and were able to win the tie 5-1 on aggregate to set up a last-16 clash with Arsenal. Speaking ahead of their Europa League clash, Arteta was full of praise for Arsenal's opponents.
