Arsenal go in search of a sorely-needed win as they take on Sporting CP in Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie this week.
Many would regard Sporting as the weakest of the remaining teams in the Champions League knockouts, but they'll feel as though that's unfair having shown some real quality this season.
In their last 16 tie, the Portuguese giants played out a dramatic last 16 tie with Bodo/Glimt, overturning a 3-0 first leg defeat to win 5-0 in the second leg, securing their place in the last eight.
The Primera Liga side's home form has been particularly strong in this competition, where they've won every game on home soil, including a 2-1 win over PSG. Overall, they're unbeaten in twenty games on home soil.
Sporting are a pretty reliably high-event team, with all of their last five games seeing over 2.5 goals scored, while all of their last six Champions League games have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Arsenal, meanwhile, enter this game amidst a rough patch. The Gunners have now lost two successive games, and in the process have been knocked out of two competitions. Dreams of a quadruple or a treble are well and truly over, so their focus now condenses to this competition and their league exploits.
The Gunners' form is still good despite their recent defeats, with those two losses their only defeats in their last 16 games. They are prone to a draw when playing on the road though, with three of their last seven away games ending all square.
When playing away from home, six of their last nine outings have seen over 2.5 goals scored, so this game could be a fairly entertaining encounter.
Despite their wobble, fans will no doubt be encouraged by the uptick in the form of Viktor Gyokeres, who comes into this game with five goals in his last three games for club and country. Up against his old club, he'll no doubt be chomping at the bit to get on the scoresheet.
Ultimately, this looks like a very tricky away fixture for the Gunners side, and should they come away with a draw, they'll probably be pretty pleased.
Sporting CP 2-2 Arsenal
