- Sporting are unbeaten in five matches across all competitions after overturning a three-goal deficit to beat Bodø/Glimt 5-0 after extra-time.
- Arsenal have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, losing to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final, but beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 to secure a place in the UCL quarter-finals.
Lions can roar with Gunners on the pitch
Sporting Clube de Portugal and Arsenal are both aiming for a place in the Champions League semi-finals and should both be in their best starting 11s for Tuesday’s first-leg clash that will guarantee a fiercely competitive game.
The odds on the match are certainly skewed towards the Gunners, who are the favourites at around 1.81 with Sporting priced up at 4.3 and the draw at 3.55.
That all seems to indicate that the visitors are likely to win, but that’s not the way to bet on this one in our opinion as Sporting are having a brilliant season and were superb to turn around a three-goal deficit in the second leg to reach the quarter-finals.
Rui Borges has installed a very proactive and possession-based system in Lisbon that suits his players’ strengths and appears to have brought out the best in Luis Suárez, who is a penalty threat and has scored key goals for them this season. Gonçalo Inácio is another player who has stepped up to anchor the defence and contribute on set pieces while Pedro Gonçalves is the driving force in a 3-4-3 system that uses wing-backs to stretch the play.
Gunners have winning head-to-head record
Gonçalo Inácio and Pedro Gonçalves provide good width and pace, but it is Sporting’s high pressing and ability to recover the ball high up the pitch that has led to some of their European heroics. Arsenal have played Sporting once before in the UEFA Champions League and ran out 5-1 winners in a game where Mikel Arteta’s men dominated.
Arsenal have a similar system in that they like to control the tempo, overload the middle third and press with discipline when out of possession. They are the best side in England right now, sitting top of the Premier League with 70 points from 31 games, the tightest defensive record and one of the most potent attacks.
But this won’t be an easy game in Lisbon, where it may be wet and damp. That will suit the visitors as they are the most structured and disciplined of the two clubs, but it could also suit Sporting if they can cause chaos and get numbers forward on the counter-attack.
Eze is the ace up Arteta’s sleeve
Arsenal have been in good form of late and had the better of a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to get into the UCL quarter-finals, but their away record in the competition has been solid and not spectacular. This is likely to be a chess match with the ability of both sides to play on the front foot likely to make the Over 2.5 goals market, at 1.85, an interesting one.
Viktor Gyökeres is the main man up front for Arsenal right now, while Eberechi Eze has been a revelation playing the No.10 role, scoring a crucial Champions League goal. Declan Rice is the midfield boss and has the ability to score spectacular goals from distance, but Bukayo Saka is the creative hub of the team on the right flank.
The main tactical battle will be between Sporting’s wing-backs and Arsenal’s full-backs, who like to rotate and invert. Sporting’s surging runs will test Arsenal’s defensive discipline and ability to cover the flanks while the Gunners’ structure and UCL experience give them a slight edge in our view. Sporting have had an excellent season in the Primeira Liga, sitting second with around 65 points from 28 matches and should not be underestimated for a 2-2 draw.
