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English club Arsenal is back in the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of their Europa League last-16 clash with Sporting Lisbon on Thursday. Join us as we continue our Europa League odds series, where we make our Arsenal-Sporting prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Gunners marched on as Group A winners, besting PSV, Bodo/Glimt, and Zurich. Arsenal hopes to continue its six-game unbeaten streak as they head back on home soil.
Ruben Amorim’s former Champions League contenders dished out a 5-1 beating to FC Midtjylland in the playoffs. Sporting is also in its seven-game unbeaten run, and they will look to bank on their good results lately.
Here are the Arsenal-Sporting soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Europa League Odds: Arsenal-Sporting Odds
Arsenal: -300
Sporting: +700
Draw: +390
Over 2.5 Goals: -144
Under 2.5 Goals: +118
How to Watch Arsenal vs. Sporting
TV: TUDN USA, UniMas
Stream: DirecTV Stream, Paramount+, TUDN App, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, ViX+
Time: 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Arsenal Can Beat Sporting
Arsenal is the current Premier League leader with 21 wins and three draws in 27 games played. Arsenal’s visits to Fulham, Leicester City, and Aston Villa were fruitful, as well as their home games against Everton and Bournemouth. The Gunners snatched all possible 15 points from those five matches. The Gunners now have a +34 goal differential, the second-best mark in the league.
Prior to their currently active four-game winning streak, the Gunners had a blip of four winless games, which included defeats to Manchester City, a draw with Brentford, and a defeat against Everton. Man City also knocked them off in Round 4 of the FA Cup.
Arsenal boasts the second-best record on home games played in the Prem, earning 32 points of the possible 39. The Gunners hope to preserve their good record in the Prem and carry it onwards in European competition. In seven games played in the Europa League, Arsenal tallies 16.3 total shots, 7.0 corner kicks, and 1.4 goals per game thanks to a 61.4% ball possession rate. Eddie Nketiah leads the club with two goals. Four other players have an assist each. Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira have two goal contributions for the Gunners. In the Premier League, Arsenal boasts of having three layers with 10+ goals already in the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka.
Manager Mikel Arteta will have to endure the absence of Mohamed Elneny in this game. Nketiah is also a doubt going into this game. Thomas Partey will anchor the midfield role alongside Granit Xhaka and Fabio Vieira. Gabriel Martinelli will be deployed as the central striker, with Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe in the wings. Second-choice goalkeeper Matt Turner will get the nod in the goal sticks.
Why Sporting Can Beat Arsenal
Sporting has bounced back from their slow start to the season and is now on the hunt for European football. They were defeated 2-1 by defending champions Porto in their last domestic outing before playing out a 1-1 deadlock against FC Midtjylland in the first leg. The Leões made a four-game winning streak, including a 4-0 outing as visitors against Midtjylland in the second leg of the knock-outs to advance in the Round of 16.
Sporting boasts a top-four spot in Liga Portugal, with 50 points earned from 16 wins, two draws, and six losses. The visitors will aim to build on their good results in the last fixtures. They have been victorious against Chaves, Estoril Praia, Portimonense, and Boavista in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, including clean sheets in the last three games.
Sporting has good statistics to back up their amazing run in European competition. They tallied 13 goals in total in both the Champions League and Europa League. Pedro Goncalves and Sebastian Coates produced two goals each in the Europa League while Arthur Gomes, Marcus Edwards, and Francisco Trincao each made two goals also in the Champions League. Goncalves also leads the team with 12 goals and six assists in the Portuguese Liga. Revenge is on Sporting’s agenda heading into this game, as Arsenal won in 2018 in a Group E match in the Europa League.
Sporting Lisbon will be without midfielder Daniel Braganca, who is dealing with a ligament injury. Antonio Adan and Hector Bellerin are also doubtful to make their appearances. Sporting should be able to pull off more than their Priemeira League averages of 16.1 total shots, 6.8 corners, and 62.3% ball possession rate per game. On the defensive end, Sporting has made 10 clean sheets in Liga Portugal, while also making 17.8 tackles, 8.6 interceptions, 10.3 clearances, and 2.0 saves per game. However, they must work on lowering their 130.7 possessions lost per game, as well as the 13.1 fouls they commit.
Final Arsenal-Sporting Prediction & Pick
Sporting will surely make their travel to England an interesting one. However, Arsenal’s tiptop form will only see them make a push to the next stage. Back the Gunners to get this victory in the Europa League.
Final Arsenal-Sporting Prediction & Pick: Arsenal (-300), Over 2.5 goals (-144)