English Premier League leaders Arsenal are all set to host Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie.
The first leg was full of drama and ended in an enthralling 2-2 stalemate and it all boils down to Thursday night’s game.
Arsenal are coming into the game after a convincing 3-0 victory over Fulham over the weekend and Sporting beat Boavista by the same score line.
Sporting take a seven-game unbeaten run in all tournaments to North London, and it has been 10 games since they failed to score in a match.
Arsenal have a perfect record at home in the group stage of the Europa League, scoring five goals while keeping clean sheets in all three games.
Meanwhile, Sporting have won their last five away games, keeping three clean sheets in that period.
The Portuguese outfit have failed to win in nine games in England since defeating Middlesbrough in the 2004-05 UEFA Cup.
Three of the five games played between these two games have produced under 2.5 goals but last week’s first leg showed that both teams have the prowess to score.
Eliminating Midtjylland in the playoff round after losing the first leg was the first time Sporting have managed to do that in 21 attempts.
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What time does Arsenal vs Sporting start?
The game kicks off at 11pm Kenyan time at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Sporting team news
Gabriel Jesus came off the bench over the weekend for his first appearance since before the World Cup and could get a first start here.
Leandro Trossard had a hat-trick of assists in the win over Fulham and will be given a start here as well, alongside Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe.
Most first team members may be rested as Jorginho starts alongside Thomas Partey in the midfield.
Hidemasa Morita and Sebastian Coates both picked up bookings and will sit this one out but the rest of the team is likely to remain unchanged.
Arsenal vs Sporting head to head
These sides have played against each other thrice in their history and Sporting have never won a game. Arsenal have won once and the other two ended in a stalemate.
Arsenal vs Sporting current form
Both teams have an identical record coming into this game and are unbeaten in their last 5 matches. The 2-2 draw is their only blemish in that period.
Arsenal vs Sporting prediction
This game is very likely to produce goals, with both teams tipped to score. Arsenal have an exemplary home record and are favorites to win on the night.