Arsenal is looking to increase their chances for a title in the Europa League when they go against Sporting Lisbon in this match. This is the first leg of their Round-of-16 meeting, where both are wanting for an advantage. Arsenal were able to qualify in the Round-of-16, after finishing as winners of their group. On the other hand, Sporting qualified for this round after a dominating 5-1 aggregate win against Midtyjlland in their knockout game. Sporting will also host this match on March 10, 2023, at 1:45 AM (GMT+8).
Unlike other teams, these two teams already had several meetings prior to this match, meeting for four times. Two meetings happened during the 2018-19 Europa League group stage, and two are from the erstwhile Fairs Cup. From those four meetings, the visitors are actually unbeaten, winning two matches while the other two ended in draw. Surprisingly, in these matches, the hosts were held scoreless, a record they want to end here. Additionally, the hosts are not doing well in their European home games. They are winless in five of their last nine home games. The visitors on the other hand are the second best defensive team in the group stage. Their defense would be their key to be successful in this series.
Arsenal
After finishing at the top of Group A, Arsenal qualified for the Round-of-16 of the Europa League, bouncing back from their unfortunate fate last season. For the first time in 26 years, Arsenal missed a knockout stage in the European football last season. Across all competitions, this squad is doing well, winning their last four games. These wins are enough to give them a good momentum to come in this crucial game. On their last match, they have been impressive, after having a comeback against Bournemouth. They were actually down by two-goals by the 57th minute. However, this squad is just resilient as they managed to have a strong comeback. Their comeback was made happen by Thomas Partey, Ben White, and Reiss Nelson.
After their recent win, Leandro Trossard came off with an issue in the groin, which might keep him out in this game. He is expected to be out in this game alongside Gabriel Jesus, and Mohamed Elneny. Eddie Nketiah on the other hand is still with an ankle problem that will keep him out in this game as well.
Sporting Lisbon
Sporting had a tough journey before qualifying in the Round-of-16, as they need to undergo a knockout round playoffs to qualify. Fortunately, they dominated their knockout playoff, winning against Midtjylland, in a 5-1 win. Just like their opponents, they won their last four games across all competitions. In fact, they are from a 1-0 win in their domestic league, winning against Portimonense. Winning is not a problem for this team, as they already showed how capable they are as a team. However, it seems like winning at home will be a problem as they only recorded one win in their last three home games. Nonetheless, they have the momentum with them, so they are confident to come in this game.
Due to a booking he picked during their last league game, Manuel Ugarte will not participate in this match. Daniel Braganca on the other hand is still recovering from his ruptured cruciate ligament.
Prediction:
Draw
Odds: 0.80
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