Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon meet on Thursday evening at 20:00 in the fourth round of UEFA Europa League, after the “guns” won the Portuguese duel, score 1-0. It was an English-dominated game that started again as group E favorites.
Arsenal‘s share is down, because Unai Emery’s team looks very good lately. “Tuners” come for a 1-1 on their own in the derby with Liverpool, a match in which the Londoners played better than Klopp’s team and they deserved to equalize in the end (even if Liverpool had a goal canceled unjust). With Torreira increasingly secure in the middle line, Arsenal showed a smooth play, and Lacazette’s inspiration was decisive in the adversary. Sporting Lisbon’s defensive will have big problems Thursday night. Actually, the Lusitans come after a tormented success in the championship, 2-1 at Santa Clara, where the “lions” were led.
In the tour, it seemed as if we were to see a white draw on “Jose Alvalade”, where Sporting failed to score even on Arsenal’s goal! But the guests went out of the booths, increased the pace in the second, and Danny Welbeck took advantage of Coates’s error to open the score. Arsenal had a canceled goal and a few missed Aubameyang occasions, and the score could have been more drastic in favor of the Londoners. That’s why betting houses make Arsenal one more favorite, especially as the stake in the group is important for white-red.
Arsenal has all the interest in winning to qualify.
It’s no secret that Arsenal puts the European League on its way because it could not only get a trophy at the end of the season but also the “tickets” for the upcoming UEFA Champions League. In Group E, Arsenal has a maximum score (go-go 8-2) after three rounds, while Sporting is second, with 6 points (goal 4-2). The two bands have so far eclipsed Vorskla Poltava and Qarabag, and a new victory would formalize the English qualification.
Arsenal has consumed a lot of energy in the derby with Liverpool and some of the Saturday titles will sit on the bench Thursday evening, but Emery has a strong batch and can line up a very competitive 11, which also has freshness. Arsenal is the kind of team that accelerates the game in the second half, often having the same breaks (7 times this season the Premier League won after a draw in the first 45 minutes), and statistics show us that 27 goals of the 38 successful “tuners” in all competitions were marked after the break!
PREDICTION: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.63
