Key events
Sporting v Arsenal line-ups
Sporting: Adan, St Juste, Coates, Inacio, Esgaio, Gonclaves, Morita, Reis, Edwards, Paulinho, Trincao.
Subs: Israel, Santos, Neto, Rochinha, Issahaku, Diomande, Tanlongo, Gomes, Cabral, Chermiti, Mateus, Essugo.
Arsenal: Turner, White, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Xhaka, Jorginho, Saka, Vieira, Nelson, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Hillson, Partey, Gabriel, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tomiyasu, Bandeira, Sagoe, Smith, Walters.
Arsenal team news: Mikel Arteta makes six changes to the side that left it late to stun Bournemouth in added time last weekend. Last weekend’s match-winner Reiss Nelson comes into the side, while January signing Jakub Kiwior makes his first appearance for the club since arriving from Spezia in January. Matt Turner start in goal for Arsenal, while Granit Xhaka, Ben White and Jorginho also come into the team. While Gabriel Jesus has travelled, he isn’t included in the matchday squad.
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
🧤Turner between the sticks
🆕 Kiwior makes his debut
🖊️ Martinelli in attackLet’s do this – together! 👊 pic.twitter.com/3caK8GbWbB
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 9, 2023
Tonight’s match officials
Early team news
Gooners everywhere were buoyed by the news that Gabriel Jesus has travelled to Portugal with the squad but the club have remained coy on the subject of how much, if any involvement the Brazilian will have in tonight’s game. An absentee through injury since returning from the World Cup, Jesus has not played since lining up for his country against Cameroon over three months ago in early December.
One man who definitely won’t be playing is Kieran Tierney, an undeniably good left-back who is becoming an increasingly peripheral figure at Arsenal due in no small part to his habit of getting injured and the excellence of Oleksandr Zinchenko.The Scot was expected to get a run out tonight but didn’t travel because of illness.
Having been forced off against Bournemouth last weekend, Leandro Trossard will not be risked, while Eddie Nketiah is also recovering from a knock. Some or all of Emile Smith-Rowe, Jorginho, Matt Turner, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieria could all start tonight.
Porto are without their defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who is currently being hawked around various Premier League clubs including Wolves, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. The Uruguayan is suspended after picking up his third booking of the tournament last time out in Sporting’s 4-0 rout of Midtjylland last time out. Mateo Tanlongo is likely to start in his place, with Daniel Braganca a long-term absentee with a ruptured cruciate.
Arsenal fans could get to a enjoy a reunion with a much-loved familiar face if their old friend Hector Bellerin is in the Sporting matchday squad. Tottenham academy graduate Marcus Edwards is expected to line-up for Sporting, while the former Liverpool and Sunderland defender Sebastian Coates is likely to skipper the Portuguese side.
Europa League R16 first leg: Sporting v Arsenal
The Estadio Jose Alvalade is the venue for tonight’s Europa League Round of 16 first leg between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Arsenal. Having seen Tottenham go out of the Champions League with barely a whimper last night, Arsenal fans will be hoping for even more reasons to be cheerful in the current 24-hour window. Their side takes on Portuguese opposition that finished behind Spurs and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League group stages before being parachuted into this competition.
Focused on the Premier League but still in the hunt for their first European silverware since 1994, Arsenal could be forgiven for playing a weakened side while keeping one eye firmly on on Sunday’s top flight match away at Fulham, but Mikel Arteta has brought a strong side to Portugal. “If we play well and are able to win the game, for sure we’ll be able to prepare better for the next game,” he said. Kick-off in Lisbon is at 5.45pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
