Arsenal travel to Lisbon to face Sporting CP in the fifth round of games in the new format of the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta’s side got off to the perfect start after the international break with 3-0 win in a potentially tricky encounter with Nottingham Forest, though they still find themselves nine points adrift of league leaders Liverpool.
And the Gunners sit 12th in the Champions League’s new league table, with just seven points from their first four games, after a loss to Inter Milan last time out.
Nevertheless, the return of Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori has steadied the side and things are looking positive once again for the Gunners as they gear up to face a Sporting side that is still getting to grips with life after Ruben Amorim’s departure.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
When is the match?
Arsenal will face Sporting at 8pm GMT on Tuesday, 26 November at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.
Where can I watch?
The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT. Subscribers can also watch via the discovery+ app.
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What is the team news?
There are no new injury concerns for Arsenal after the win over Forest, with Ben White the only major absentee after he underwent knee surgery. Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are still unavailable too.
Odegaard will hope to start again after a successful return from injury at the weekend, while Kai Havertz and Declan Rice will be hoping to get back their places in the starting eleven after they were both unused substitutes in the 3-0 win at the weekend.
The Gunners also welcomed back Calafiori, and he can hope to start again with White still absent, though Arteta may choose to go with Oleksandr Zinchenko as he manages the Italian’s workload on his return.
Gabriel Martinelli also sat out the win over Forest, and he’ll hope to be involved over Leandro Trossard on the wing.
Sporting have a couple of notable absentees, with attacking midfielder Pote and wing-back Nuno Santos both missing out. However, Geny Catamo and Maximiliano Araujo are in contention to start after missing the weekend’s cup win.
Promising young centre-back Gonçalo Inácio is back fit after a period out, while key man Morten Hjulmand and Viktor Gyokeres will lead the midfield and attack respectively.
Predicted lineups
Sporting XI: Israel; Debast, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Hjulmand, Braganca, Reis; Trincao, Gyokeres, Araujo.
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Zinchenko; Merino, Odegaard, Partey; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Odds
Sporting 21/10
Draw 5/2
Arsenal 6/5
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Prediction
Arsenal will need to be wary of Sporting’s attacking threat, which was on show against City, though they should be better prepared to deal with that. The Gunners have the necessary quality to earn a win in Lisbon, though it could be a close match. Sporting 1-2 Arsenal.
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