Arsenal were drawn against Sporting CP in the last-16 of the Europa League, avoiding the likes of Juventus and Sevilla. The Gunners will play the 19-times Portuguese champions in March during a 23-day period of seven matches.
Sporting CP knocked out Danish side Midtjylland in the knockout play-off round only to draw potential tournament favourites Arsenal. It was not the opponent they would have hoped to play at this stage having already been relegated from a Champions League group that included the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham.
To get a grasp on how Sporting might be feeling after the draw football.london spoke to Lisbon-based Portuguese football expert and Sporting supporter Jose Miguel. Jose provided insight on a number of topics including the return of Hector Bellerin, the threats Arsenal will face like Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves plus where the tactical weaknesses of the Gunners’ opponents can be found.
