Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal Preview | Team News | Expected Line-Ups | Predicted Score

Arsenal will be looking to put one foot in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a win when we take on Sporting Lisbon this evening [kick off 5.55pm].

We extended our winning streak to an impressive 10 games in all competitions with a 3-1 comeback victory over Leicester City on Monday night which leaves us sitting joint third in the Premier League table and just two points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

However, it’s European matters at hand today as Unai Emery looks to take control of Group E and put us within touching distance of the knockout stages with a win over Sporting Lisbon at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Arsenal currently sit top on goal difference as Sporting have also won their opening two group stage matches against Vorskla and Qarabag so the upcoming double-header will be decisive in determining who finishes in top spot.

The Portuguese giants are enduring an inconsistent campaign domestically as they sit fifth in the Primeira Liga table having won four, lost two and drawn one of their seven games so far but Arsenal won’t be taking anything for granted this evening.

Team news

Emery will have to make-do without Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal once again as the duo haven’t travelled to Portugal due to hamstring injuries that kept them out of the win over Leicester City.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Petr Cech are not in the squad despite returning to full training while Laurent Koscielny is also still working his way back to full fitness after a serious Achilles injury. Sokratis is back in contention after recovering from an ankle problem but Dinos Mavropanos is still on the sidelines with a groin injury.

Emery is expected to rotate his starting eleven and rest the likes of Mesut Ozil, Lucas Torreira, Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka ahead of Sunday’s league trip to Crystal Palace while Carl Jenkinson is looking to make his first appearance since November 2016.

Matteo Guendouzi, Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all expected to feature while youngster Emile Smith Rowe may get another chance to impress.

As for Sporting, they could welcome Jeremy Mathieu back in to the squad after he returned to training but Bas Dost and Raphinha are both doubts.

Expected line-ups

Sporting XI: Salin; Gaspar, Coates, Mathieu, Jefferson; Nani, Fernandes, Gudelj, Acuna, Mane; Montero

Predicted score

Sporting Lisbon 1-2 Arsenal: The hosts come in to the match in poor form having lost two of their last three league games while Arsenal are full of confidence off the back of a superb 10-match winning run. I do think this is going to be a tricky game for a much-changed Arsenal side but I hope we have just enough to edge it.