Sporting CP vs Arsenal

The stakes are high for Arsenal as they travel to the Estadio José Alvalade to take on high-flying Sporting CP in a must-win UEFA Champions League meeting.

It’s been a remarkable Champions League campaign for Sporting as a memorable 4-1 home triumph against Manchester City last time out upheld their unbeaten record at Europe’s top table this season (W3, D1). However, overachieving manager Ruben Amorim is no longer at the helm after taking a job at Manchester United, casting doubt on the home side’s hopes of Sporting’s hopes of extending an eye-catching nine-game winning streak at the Estadio José Alvalade during which they netted a jaw-dropping 30 goals. Sporting enjoyed a perfect start to life after Amorim, dismantling lower-league Amarante 6-0 in domestic cup action last weekend. New manager Joao Pereira cannot let that result tuck him into a false sense of security, especially considering the Portuguese giants will be out to post their first-ever European win against Arsenal after six winless H2Hs (D4, L2).

In the meantime, Arsenal came flying out of the traps after November’s international break, thrashing Nottingham Forest 3-0 at home to end a disappointing three-game winless run in all competitions (D1, L2). Mikel Arteta’s men cannot afford a slip-up in Lisbon after a 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan last time out left them outside the top eight in the Champions League (W2, D1, L1). On the bright side, Hakan Calhanoglu’s game-winning penalty remains the only goal they’ve conceded in the current European cycle. However, goals have been at a premium for the Gunners as they’ve only netted three in four matches, highlighting the size of the task awaiting them in Portugal amid a five-game winless away run in the Champions League (D2, L3).