ARSENAL are showing little sign of slipping in the Premier League title race but now turn their attention back towards the Europa League as they look to dump Sporting CP and reach the quarter-finals.
After a thrilling 2-2 draw in Portugal last week, the Gunners were hugely impressive on Sunday as they blitzed Fulham 3-0 to restore their five-point lead over Manchester City.
That trip to Craven Cottage looked tricky, with both Slips Tips and myself backing BTTS, but Mikel Arteta's side never looked in danger and are gathering some impressive momentum.
The Arsenal boss has done a good job rotating his squad in Europe and I'd expect a few changes here as the Gunners look to finish the job against Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese side showed how dangerous they are by twice taking the lead in the first leg and it's now seven games without defeat for them after crushing Boavista 3-0 at the weekend.
Sporting also battered Midtjylland 4-0 on the road in the last round, albeit the Danes were a man down for most of the game, so they won't be overawed by a trip to the Emirates.
How the bookies view it
With Arsenal in such good form it's no surprise to see them as odds-on favourites to qualify, although they look too short at a best 3/17 with 888Sport. Sporting CP are 9/2 at Paddy Power to go through and the odds increase to a whopping 8/1 at Unibet for a win on the night. The best price for a Gunners win in 90 minutes is just 7/18 at VBet while the draw pays 17/4 with BetUK.
Head to head
Arsenal are unbeaten in their five previous clashes with Sporting Lisbon, winning three of those matches. But the Portuguese side can take heart from the fact they drew 0-0 on their last visit to the Emirates in 2018.
Players to watch
Bukayo Saka has amazing durability and is rarely rested, with the winger featuring in seven of the Europa League games this term. The England star is 37/20 at Unibet for anytime scorer and 41/20 with the same firm for over 1.5 shots on target.
Marcus Edwards caught the eye for Sporting Lisbon when they beat Spurs in the Champions League group stage and the winger has netted eight times this term. He's 13/2 at Unibet to grab a goal back in his native England and that looks a little overpriced.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both sides have been scoring freely this season so we should see another open game. BTTS is priced evens at Bet365 and that looks pretty tempting while over 2.5 goals is a bit shorter at 8/11 with the same firm. Over 1.5 first-half goals came up in the first leg and a repeat in London pays 13/8 at Paddy Power.
Arteta's side should have most of the pressure and that makes them worth a look in the corner handicap, with Arsenal -3 priced 10/11 at Unibet. I also fancy a few cards after four yellows were flashed in Portugal last week. Two of those went to the Gunners and over 1.5 Arsenal cards pays 19/20 with Unibet here.
This UEFA Europa League match between Arsenal and Sporting CP will be played on Mar 16, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Sporting CP prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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