Preview: Can Sporting find a way to further derail Arsenal’s campaign?
The Portuguese giants visit North London looking to overturn a one goal deficit.
By Filip Mishov
Under-fire Gunners seek a confidence boost ahead of Man City showdown
The pressure is reaching an all-time high at the Emirates following Arsenal’s damning defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League and ahead of this return leg in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Mikel Arteta‘s squad were sloppy in possession and lacked both composure and the belief to inspire a comeback against the Cherries, enabling the away side to inflict a damaging defeat.
However, the fact remains that the Gunners are still in control of the title race in England and hold a hard-earned 1-0 lead from Lisbon going in to what is the most important week of their season to date, and it is up to them to rise from the setback and prove their title-winning credentials, both domestically and in Europe.
Sporting put that first leg’s stoppage-time loss to Arsenal behind them with a victory at Estrela da Amadora over the weekend, a result that keeps them in the Liga Portugal title race.
Now, the focus of the Rui Borges-led squad is on sparking a surprise in London and continuing their fairytale campaign in the Champions League, and judging by their past visits, that might not be so far-fetched.
The reigning Portuguese champions are unbeaten at the Emirates Stadium, as Sporting held the Gunners to a draw both in 2018 and 2023, respectively, before then progressing to the Europa League quarter-finals via a penalty shoot-out on the latter occasion.
Key players
David Raya is a dark horse in the race for Arsenal’s Player of the Season award, with the in-form goalkeeper’s performances becoming increasingly important in recent weeks, as their opponents enjoy more possession and thus more chances to score. The Spaniard is leading the charts for clean sheets, both in the Premier League (15) as well as the Champions League (7), and furthermore, the 30-year-old boasts the highest save percentage (90%) in Europe’s elite competition.
The free-scoring Luis Suárez might be stealing the headlines, but Pedro Gonçalves‘s importance is as crucial to Sporting this campaign and in recent years as well.
Tasked with the mission impossible of replacing Bruno Fernandes back in 2020, the so-called ‘Pote’ is the Lions’ maestro, and apart from his injury-plagued 2024/25 season, the Portuguese international has scored at least 15 goals across all competitions in five of the past six seasons.
Additionally, the versatile playmaker is the squad’s third-highest-FotMob rated player (7.70) in the league and is ranking second in terms of goals + assists (19) and chances created (45) as well.
It was also Pote who scored the incredible goal from the halfway line during their last visit to London.
Team news
Riccardo Calafiori, Jurriën Timber, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka were all absent from Arsenal’s last training session and their availability remains doubtful, while Mikel Merino is ruled out.
For Sporting, Nuno Santos, Luis Guilherme and Fotis Ioannidis missed the first leg and are not expected to return for the trip to London.
Prediction
Arsenal’s nervous body language is becoming quite telling, and their fragile confidence has been exposed in recent weeks, resulting in both EFL Cup final defeat and exit from the FA Cup. But despite the strength of this Sporting team, I still expect the Gunners to progress to the semi-finals with a win or draw, mainly due to their outstanding defensive stability and individual quality.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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