Arsenal v Sporting predictions: Gunners to keep double dream alive

Where to watch Arsenal v Sporting

BT Sport 2, 8pm Thursday

Best bet

Arsenal to win & both teams to score
1pt 11-5 bet365

Arsenal v Sporting odds

Arsenal 4-11
Sporting 8-1
Draw 4-1

Odds correct at time of publish

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Sporting v Arsenal team news

Arsenal
Eddie Nketiah is a few weeks away from a return and joins Mohamed Elneny on the sidelines.

Sporting
Sebastian Coates and Hidemasa Morita are suspended and ex-Arsenal man Hector Bellerin is out with a knee injury. Goalkeeper Antonio Adan has a muscle complaint but is expected to play and Manuel Ugarte is back from suspension.

Arsenal v Sporting predictions

Mikel Arteta is adamant Arsenal’s pursuit of Premier League glory will not come at the expense of the Europa League and the Spaniard’s team are expected to walk the walk against Sporting in the second leg of this last-16 tie.

Arsenal’s odds for a first domestic title in 19 years shortened at the weekend as they maintained their five-point advantage over Manchester City with a resounding 3-0 win at Fulham. 

But while Arsenal supporters are excitedly ticking off the league games, Arteta and his players remain focused on their next job, which is converting a 2-2 draw from the first leg against Sporting into a Europa League quarter-final berth.

The Portuguese gave as good as they got on home soil and were left feeling hard done by as Hidemasa Morita’s own goal made sure Arsenal returned to London level in the tie.

Arteta made a handful of changes for that encounter which hindered Arsenal’s fluency and it’s likely he’ll go with a stronger side at the Emirates, where the hosts have triumphed in 16 of their last 20 matches. 

Few of their recent home outings have been straightforward though, the dramatic 3-2 win over Bournemouth being a case in point, and Sporting are not as hopeless as 90-minute odds of 8-1 would suggest.

Sporting’s sought-after coach Ruben Amorim gave several of his big guns the weekend off in preparation for the second leg and they’ve travelled fairly well in Europe this season, scoring in all four away assignments.

They carry a threat in the likes of tricky forward Marcus Edwards, born 10 miles from the Emirates, and Arsenal’s inability to keep a clean sheet at home - they’ve kept six in 17 games this season - suggests Sporting can score.

However, the last six games have shown Arsenal have goals everywhere with nine different players finding the net, and they boast enough quality to maintain their double charge.

Key stat

Sporting have failed to win any of their last nine away games against English opposition

Probable teams

Arsenal (4-3-3): Turner; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tiernay; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Nelson, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Holding, Kiwior, White, Zinchenko, Partey, Saka, Vieira, Trossard

Sporting (3-4-3): Adan; St. Juste, Inacio, Reis; Esgaio, Ugarte, Goncalves, N. Santos; Edwards, Paulinho, Trincao
Subs: Cabral, Chermiti, Diomande, Essugo, Fatawu, Fernandes, Neto, Tanlongo

Inside info

Arsenal

Penalty taker Jorginho
Assist ace Martin Odegaard
Set-piece aerial threat Gabriel
Card magnet Granit Xhaka

Sporting

Penalty taker Pedro Goncalves
Assist ace Marcus Edwards
Set-piece aerial threat Goncalo Inacio
Card magnet Manuel Ugarte

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