Arsenal vs Sporting CP Europa League round of 16 second leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Arsenal and Sporting CP meet in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 second leg on Thursday 16 March.

Where to watch Arsenal vs Sporting CP on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

It was an experimental-looking Arsenal side that eventually came away from Lisbon with a 2-2 draw in the first leg, but there will likely be a few more familiar faces in the starting XI as the Gunners look to secure a quarter-final place. Having won all three of their European home games this season without conceding, they have cause for optimism.

With a top-three finish in the Portuguese League far from certain, Rúben Amorim's side will need no reminder of the importance of this tie. Sporting have drawn their last three games in England (including a 0-0 at Arsenal in the 2018/19 Europa League group stage). With the away goals rule now abolished, another draw could mean a dramatic finish.

Predicted line-ups

Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Ødegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Misses next match if booked: Tierney, Martinelli

Sporting CP: Adán; St. Juste, Inácio, Matheus Reis; Ricardo Esgaio, Ugarte, Pedro Gonçalves, Nuno Santos; Edwards, Paulinho, Francisco Trincão
Suspended: Coates, Morita
Misses next match if booked: Ricardo Esgaio, Matheus Reis

Form guide

Arsenal
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDWWWW
Where they stand: 1st in English Premier League

Sporting CP
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDWWWW
Where they stand: 4th in Portuguese Liga

Expert predictions

Lynsey Hooper, Arsenal reporter
There's just no stopping Arsenal right now and it's shaping up to be a season for them to savour. They had wrapped up their Premier League game with Fulham by half-time on Sunday and continue to maintain their five point gap at the top of the table. Despite not getting their first choice signings in January, both Leandro Trossard and Jorginho are proving to be savvy buys with the former getting all three assists at the weekend. With a strong starting XI, and playing in front of their buoyant home crowd, you can't see Sporting having enough to stop the current Arsenal juggernaut.

Carlos Machado, Sporting CP reporter
Sporting will take heart from a competitive display in Lisbon and know that Arsenal may rest some of their most influential players for their next domestic assignment. The Lions rested several players themselves at the weekend and will again be forced to deploy Pedro Gonçalves through the middle due to Morita's suspension, but Ugarte returns after a one-match ban. Sporting know they are underdogs and will hope the Premier League leaders take their eye off the ball in north London.

What the coaches say

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach: "We're looking to do the same as we did in Lisbon but we're going to have to do better than we did last week to win tomorrow. Against top quality in Europe they punish you the moment you give them space. Certainly tomorrow that cannot be the case."

Rúben Amorim, Sporting CP coach: "I'm expecting a very difficult match, against a team that will start with a different pace than they did in [the first leg]. A team that now know us better. We will also try to do better than we did in the first game. We can play better. We always want to win, regardless of who we are facing, because of what a win can bring to us. Going further in this competition would be important for the club and for our project. But I don't want my players to think that, if we lose, that would be the end of anything."

Where is the 2023 Europa League final?

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Budapest's Puskás Aréna will host the final on 31 May 2023.

The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.