The hosts thrashed Midtjylland 5-1 over the two-legged Europa League playoff tie last month, while Arsenal finished on top of Group A to earn direct qualification to the round of 16 of Europe’s second tier tournament.
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Sporting Lisbon will host Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday. The hosts thrashed Midtjylland 5-1 over the two-legged playoff tie to reach this far in the tournament, while Arsenal finished on top of Group A to earn direct qualification to the round of 16 of Europe’s second tier club competition. The Gunners are currently sitting at the summit of the Premier League standings, while Sporting are occupying fourth spot in the Portuguese Primeira Liga table.
De olhos postos no #SCPARS 👀🔜
🎫 Bilhetes: https://t.co/tt8CCRmTfN pic.twitter.com/QpZvgtk7of
— Sporting Clube de Portugal (@Sporting_CP) March 7, 2023
Sporting are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 over Portimonense in the Portuguese top flight on Saturday, thanks to Paulinho’s 77th-minute effort. The Green and Whites were initially involved in the Champions League, where they finished third in Group D, and had to settle for a place in the Europa League playoff. The Lions needed an injury time equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw against Midtjylland in the home leg,, but the Portuguese outfit turned up the heat in Denmark, storming to a 4-0 success to enter the last-16 of Europe’s second tier tournament.
Arsenal, on the other hand, recorded five wins and one defeat from their six group fixtures to secure top spot in Europa League Group A, ahead of PSV Eindhoven. Mikel Arteta’s side are returning to continental action on the back of a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 Premier League-win over Bournemouth in the weekend. After falling behind to Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi’s efforts, the Gunners fought back through Thomas Partey and Ben White before Reiss Nelson scored the winner seven minutes into injury time. It was Arsenal’s fourth consecutive league-win, taking their points tally to 63 from 26 games, five clear of the chasing pack.
Read more: Roma vs Real Sociedad: Europa League Live Stream, Form Guide, Schedule, Fixture and Probable Lineups
Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte will be suspended for Thursday’s game, having picked up his third European booking of the season against Midtjylland in the second leg. Therefore teenager Mateo Tanlongo could come into the playing eleven, joining Hidemasa Morita in the engine room. As for Arsenal, Leandro Trossard suffered a groin injury in the win over Bournemouth, leaving Arteta short of options in the central attacking department. Gabriel Jesus, Mohamed Elneny and Eddie Nketiah are sidelined with injuries.
Sporting Lisbon Probable line-up: Adan, Inacio, Coates, St. Juste, Esgaio, Tanlongo, Morita, Reis, Edwards, Paulinho, Goncalves
Arsenal Probable line-up: Turner, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Xhaka, Jorginho, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Martinelli
Sporting Lisbon
| Opponents | Score |
| Portimonense | 0-1 (W) |
| Estoril | 2-0 (W) |
| Midtjylland | 0-4 (W) |
| Chaves | 2-3 (W) |
| Midtjylland | 1-1 (D) |
Arsenal
| Opponents | Score |
| Bournemouth | 3-1 (W) |
| Everton | 4-0 (W) |
| Leicester | 0-1 (W) |
| Aston Villa | 2-4 (W) |
| Manchester City | 1-3 (L) |
| Last 2 match-results | Score |
| Arsenal draw Sporting Lisbon | 0-0 |
| Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon | 1-0 |
The UEFA Europa League match between Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal will take place at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday at 11:15 pm IST.
| Sporting Lisbon vs Arsenal | Key Details |
| Date | March 9 |
| Venue | Estadio Jose Alvalade |
| Kickoff time in Portugal | 5:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in UK | 6:45 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 11:15 pm |
The live telecast of the UEFA Europa League matches in India is available on Sony Sports network. Fans will also be able to live stream through Jio TV and Sony LIV. Besides, the match between Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal can also be seen on Sport TV network in Portugal. Meanwhile, those in the UK can catch the live via BT Sport network.
