The Gunners ended their four-game winless streak in the league with a dominant 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, where Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey netted stunning goals, and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri made history with his first Premier League strike. Meanwhile, Sporting began life without Ruben Amorim in style, thrashing Amarante 6-0 in the Taca de Portugal under new head coach Joao Pereira.
Arsenal will be looking to put their narrow 1-0 loss to Inter Milan behind them—an evening where Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty handed the Gunners their first Champions League defeat of the season. Despite slipping to 12th in the overall rankings, Arsenal are just two points shy of a top-eight spot, which would guarantee a place in the knockout rounds.
With playmaker Martin Odegaard back, Arsenal’s attack should be more potent, but their away form in the Champions League is a concern. They haven’t won in five consecutive away games and have failed to score in their last four—a drought no Premier League side, except Manchester United in 2004-05, has matched. Sporting, even without Amorim, will be confident in their chances of extending Arsenal’s struggles.
Pereira’s Sporting side has been on fire, scoring 31 goals during a nine-match winning streak in all competitions. Star striker Viktor Gyökeres, who recently tore through Manchester City with a hat-trick in Sporting’s 4-1 group-stage win, continues to impress and is a rumored Arsenal target.
The hosts are also riding a 14-game home winning streak across all competitions since March. While they eliminated Arsenal from the Europa League last season on penalties, Sporting has yet to secure a 90-minute win against the resurgent Gunners. Tuesday’s clash promises to be a test of form and resilience for both sides.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Arsenal’s injury list has cleared up significantly in recent weeks, with only Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) unavailable for Tuesday’s clash. Tierney has returned to training but isn’t ready to feature just yet.Several key players, Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Declan Rice recovered from recent knocks to be included against Nottingham Forest, though Rice was rested on the bench as Mikel Arteta shuffled his lineup, starting Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus instead.
For Tuesday, Rice is expected to reclaim his midfield role, likely joined by the fresh-legged Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz. Arteta will also need to decide between Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino in midfield.
Sporting Lisbon are in relatively good health too, with only Nuno Santos (knee) and Pedro Goncalves still sidelined with a muscle injury is set to miss out. Goncalves famously scored a stunning long-range goal at the Emirates in 2023, but in his absence, Marcus Edwards, who netted twice in the recent 6-0 win over Amarante, could start in a potent attacking trio alongside Trincão and Viktor Gyökeres.
Gyökeres, the former Coventry City striker, has been in sensational form this season, directly contributing to 28 goals in just 19 appearances—24 goals and four assistsmaking him a key player Arsenal’s defense will need to contain.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:Israel; Reis, Inacio, Diomande; Quenda, Morita, Hjulmand, Araujo; Trincao, Gyokeres, Edwards
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
EXPERT PREDICTION
Sporting Lisbon 2-2 Arsenal
While Arsenal have the quality to end Sporting’s flawless home record this season, the Portuguese side’s attacking firepower is hard for any team to contain. A fiercely competitive Champions League showdown seems likely, with the Gunners settling for a hard-earned point in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.
