Given who else we could have been drawn against in the last 16 of the Europa League, it’s fair to say Arsenal will be content with having to beat Sporting Lisbon over two legs to advance to the QFinals.
Previewing our potential opponents, I ranked Lisbon as second only to Donetsk as ideal opposition.
From Sporting’s point of view we would have been viewed as their worst case scenario.
One of Portugal’s traditional big three, never relegated from the top tier, the Lions ended a nearly two-decade title drought in 2019, something the Gunners are aspiring to do.
There are similarities to their Primera Liga triumph to what Arteta is trying to achieve.
Like our manager, Ruben Amorim was hired with little experience and surprised many by building a championship winning squad.
His recruitment policy was based on a certain age and the 38 year old has been credited for getting the best out of talent many didn’t see possible.
Naturally there has been a hangover since, but the consensus equally is many have now worked out for the Leoes.
As has been their culture for years, the club have developed so much talent and made a healthy profit.
Yet their fans feel the latest batch of stars they lost were not adequately replaced, harming their chances of competing. Paulinha was sold to Fulham in the summer while fans felt lied to, being promised that if that deal happened they wouldn’t have to accept any offers for Nunes. He left for Wolves, leaving a gaping hole in midfield. Pedro Porro was the latest big name to depart in January.
An obvious connection between the two clubs is Hector Bellerin who moved to Portugal in the New Year. Hopefully he will get the respectful farewell he never got from Gooners when he returns in March.
The top three clubs In Portugal qualify for the Champions League.
Currently 4th in their domestic league, 8 points behind 3rd, Sporting might have to win the Europa to ensure they are back in UEFA’s elite competition next season. With us 13 points clear of 5th, the pressure is less on us. We want to win the Europa League; Sporting might have to.
Sporting are still in Europe based on finishing third in their Champions’ League group, where they were competitive.
Their 7 points included beating Spurs, a draw at the Lane and a win in Germany. That win at Frankfurt was a rare away triumph with them traditionally not travelling well in Europe .
If it were a one off tie, we could get caught cold at the Estadio, especially if we rotate our squad. Over two legs though we should be too strong.
It remains to be seen how serious we take this competition. A trip to Fulham is sandwiched in between the tie, with Palace at home three days after Lisbon are in North London.
There has been zero benefit to us by essentially jeopardising our place in the FA Cup and an argument can be made to build momentum by carrying on winning.
Equally our domestic interests have to be our priority and you can understand why Saka, Saliba, Partey, Odegaard, etc, would be wrapped up in cotton wool. We could even use these two fixtures to give Smith Rowe and Jesus a run out.
I think we can play our fringe players in the 1st leg knowing if that backfires we can bring back our big hitters for the 2nd leg.
