As Champions League football returns, here’s our Sporting CP Vs Arsenal preview, prediction, team news and confirmed lineups ahead of Tuesday’s game.
Sporting CP VS Arsenal Preview
Arsenal bounced back from their disappointing recent run with a convincing 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Arteta’s side were winless in their previous four Premier League matches, and had slipped well behind Liverpool in the title race.
But a couple of top-draw finishes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey set the Gunners on course for victory, before 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri rounded off the scoring. Nwaneri became Arsenal’s second-youngest Premier League scorer, after Cesc Fabregas.
The win lifts Arsenal back into the top four, but their attention now turns to Europe. They lost at Inter Milan last time out, but have beaten PSG and Shakhtar Donetsk following their opening draw with Atalanta.
With skipper Martin Odegaard back fit, Arsenal will be hoping to build momentum, but must contend with a Sporting CP side in great form.
The Portuguese outfit lost former manager Ruben Amorim to Manchester United, with Joao Pereira taking over on a three-year deal.
Sporting hammered Manchester City 4-1 in their last Champions League game, with Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres netting a superb hat-trick.
The Lisbon side have won 14 straight home matches in all competitions, and knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League in 2022/23.
Ready for @ChampionsLeague action 🔥 #UCL
🔜 #SCPARS pic.twitter.com/Uqd3qu8UIy
— Sporting CP English (@SportingCP_en) November 24, 2024
Sporting CP Vs Arsenal Team News
Things are looking far brighter for Arsenal on the injury front these days. Each of Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice have returned to the squad, along with Martin Odegaard.
They will still be without Ben White (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), while Kieran Tierney is back in training after his hamstring issue, but won’t be fit in time for Tuesday.
Declan Rice will slot back into midfield after starting on the bench at the weekend. Partnering him will be one of Thomas Partey, with Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz starting in attack.
Sporting also have a relatively empty treatment room at the moment. They will be missing Nuno Santos (knee) and Pedro Goncalves (muscle), but are otherwise in good health.
The absence of Goncalves will see former Tottenham youth player Marcus Edwards start for the hosts. He will join Gyokeres and Trincao in a formidable attacking trio.
Sporting CP Vs Arsenal Confirmed Lineups
Sporting CP: Israel; Araujo, Diomande, Edwards, Gyokeres, Hjulmand, Inacio, Morita, Quenda, St. Juste, Trincao
Arsenal: Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Timber, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Sporting CP Vs Arsenal Prediction
The return of Odegaard has already helped Arsenal shake off their poor recent form. The Norwegian has been integral to the Gunners for several years now, and should prove pivotal once more.
Sporting are adapting to life after Amorim, but won’t let go of their superb home record easily. We can see this one going either way, but a high-scoring draw seems like a reasonable prediction given the firepower both sides possess in attack.
Prediction: Sporting CP 2-2 Arsenal
