For our Sporting vs. Arsenal prediction, we're going for a 2-2 draw.
Sporting Clube de Portugal reached the Europa League last 16 by finishing 3rd in Champions League Group D, a group containing Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille, before beating Danish side Midtjylland 4-1 on aggregate in the play-off round.
The Portuguese club have had a fairly tough campaign in comparison to recent years as they sit 4th in the Primeira Liga, fifteen points shy of Benfica in 1st.
It's no surprise given how many players they've lost in recent transfer windows, but their results have been fairly strong of late as they enter this game having won each of their last four consecutive matches.
They've also now kept three clean sheets in a row, a stat that will please manager Ruben Amorim given how well they've have to perform defensively to keep out Arsenal.
Their home form is quite a concern heading into this match, though, having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches on home soil.
Regardless, Sporting CP should be competitive with what will be a weakened Arsenal side and while they may not progress from the tie they could well take something from this game.
Arsenal reached the Europa League last 16 by topping Europa League Group A, a group containing PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich.
The Gunners have had a fine campaign as they enter this game top of the Premier League table with a five point cushion over Manchester City in 2nd.
Mikel Arteta's side enter this game fresh off the back of one of their most euphoric moments of the season, with academy graduate Reiss Nelson securing a stunning second half comeback with a 97th minute strike to steal a huge three points in the title race, sealing a 3-2 win after falling 2-0 down after 57 minutes.
The win sparked elated celebrations at the Emirates and felt like one of those season-defining moments that are often reflected on when trophies are won
The win also sealed a fourth consecutive win for Mikel Arteta's side, a stat that will please the Spaniard hugely given his side embarked upon. four-match winless streak prior to this previous winning stretch.
It's true that this competition is not Arsenal's first priority and they are not likely to treat is with the same respect they usually would given they're gunning for a first league title in nearly twenty years, but even if they rest most of their regular starters their second string XI is strong enough to compete with that of most club's in this tournament so they're still well placed to make a deep run. They face a tough game here but they should fancy themselves for a draw at least.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
