Arsenal predicted line-up vs Sporting Lisbon as Mikel Arteta makes Gabriel Jesus decision
Premier League leaders Arsenal must beat Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night in the Emirates to reach the last eight of this season’s Europa League
Arsenal are aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League against Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night in the Emirates.
The Gunners drew 2-2 in the first leg in Portugal last month. William Saliba’s early goal was canceled out by Goncalo Inacio’s superb header before Sporting made it 2-1 with a Paulinho strike. Hidemasa Morita’s own goal tied the tie.
Mikel Arteta is expected to rotate his squad for the second leg due to the Premier League title win. Arsenal are five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table with a home game against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Matt Turner will replace Aaron Ramsdale between the posts, although last time out he couldn’t cover himself with the glory for both Sporting’s goals. The US international has featured in all but one of Arsenal’s Europa League games this season.
Takehiro Tomiyasu has struggled for minutes in the Premier League due to Ben White’s performances at right-back but the Japanese defender is yet to miss a European game for Arsenal this season. As such, he is tapped to start against Sporting at right-back.
One of Arteta’s toughest decisions will be deciding who will play at centre-back. It is highly unlikely he will resort to his preferred pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba as Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior both hope to make the starting XI.
What do you think Arsenal’s starting XI will look like against Sporting Lisbon? Let us know in the comments below!
Kiwior, signed by Italian club Spezia in January after representing Poland at the World Cup in Qatar, failed to impress last time out against Sporting. However, with limited Premier League opportunities, Arteta could give him another chance in Europe.
Kieran Tierney has fallen behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in Arsenal’s pecking order this season and missed his last game against Sporting. Nonetheless, he returned to the squad for last Sunday’s 3-0 win at Fulham and was due to start on Thursday night.
Fabio Vieira and Jorginho both started the first leg against Sporting but returned to the bench in the Fulham win. They are both called back to rest captain Martin Odegaard and veteran midfielder Thomas Partey.
Arteta’s squad isn’t big enough to make 11 changes for the Europa League, so Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka – arguably Arsenal’s two most important players – are tipped to continue.
Leandro Trossard performed superbly as a fake No.9 against Fulham and could continue up front as Gabriel Jesus is still recovering from a knee injury. Jesus is likely to play against Sporting, although it’s probably still too early for him to start.
Arteta has a selection dilemma down the left flank, with Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson both pushing starts. Smith Rowe has not started a Premier League game this season due to a groin injury and will be hoping to stay in the tank for a few more minutes.
Arsenal likely to start in the starting XI against Sporting Lisbon: Matt Turner; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Rob Holding, Jakub Kiwior, Kieran Tierney; Jorginho, Granit Xhaka, Fabio Vieira; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Emile Smith Rowe.
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