Will Arsenal make short work of the home game?

It is an unusual sight that the leaders of the best football league in Europe are not playing in the Champions League but in the second-tier Europa League. This is exactly the case for Arsenal Football Club. However, the Londoners have long since accepted this situation and have set themselves the goal of winning the now very prominent competition.

Ahead of Thursday night’s Round of 16 second leg between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon, betting on the Gunners to be the overall winners is offered at odds of 3.50. Only league rivals Manchester United are considered to have an even better chance of winning the title, although the Red Devils already have one-and-a-half legs in the quarter-finals after their 4-1 home win over Betis Sevilla the previous week. Arteta’s team have more work to do at home against Sporting.

A week ago, the teams parted with a 2-2 draw in Lisbon, which makes anything seem possible for the second match at the Emirates Stadium next Thursday. However, it is also clear that the Premier League leaders set the tone in the first leg and deserved to win.

With their own fans behind them and the fact that the Portuguese visitors are not as strong away from home as they are at home, there are many indications that the prediction of a home win for the favourites will pay off in the Arsenal vs. Sporting Lisbon

Arsenal – Statistics & current form

On the way to the English championship, Arsenal FC also impressively solved another compulsory task at the weekend. Coach Mikel Arteta’s team won the capital derby against Fulham 3-0 and thus celebrated their fifth Premier League victory in a row. After an interim period of difficulty, the Gunners are back on track and remain a comfortable five points ahead of their closest rivals Manchester City.

The Londoners now also want to live up to their role as favourites in the UEFA Europa League and reach the quarter-finals. After the 2-2 draw in the first leg in Lisbon a week ago, a simple home win will suffice in the second leg against Sporting. On a positive note, the Gunners have won all three of their international home games so far this season and have also gone three times without conceding a goal.

Arsenal’s attack is unstoppable

At national level, Martin Odegaard and Co. have also hardly had any lapses at home. Ten wins from 13 matches are just as strong as the 34 goals scored. Five of the aforementioned ten home victories were achieved with at least a two-goal difference. For the second leg of the last 16 between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon, the odds on a handicap win for the favourites (-1) also come into question in our eyes.

Not least because the attack has been in very good form recently, scoring at least three times in four of the past five Premier League matches and should have scored three to four goals in the first leg in Portugal. Since we also expect Arteta’s team to set the course for victory early on in the upcoming match, it would also be conceivable to go for a start-finish victory (HT1/FT1).

In terms of personnel, the Spanish coach will once again opt for a mixed starting line-up with a number of key players and substitutes. Compared to the first leg, Martin Odegaard or Leandro Trossard could also play an important role. The former is the lynchpin of the possession game, while Trossard impressed with three assists in the 3-0 win over Fulham at the weekend. Both did not feature in Portugal a week ago.

Last Arsenal games:

Europa League Final Stage
17/03/2023 – Arsenal FC (3)1 – 1(5) Sporting CP

Premier League
12/03/2023 – Fulham 0 – 3 Arsenal FC

Europa League Final Stage
10/03/2023 – Sporting CP 2 – 2 FC Arsenal

Premier League
04/03/2023 – Arsenal FC 3 – 2 Bournemouth

02/03/2023 – Arsenal FC 4 – 0 Everton

Sporting Lisbon – Statistics & current form

Sporting Lisbon celebrated the aforementioned 2-2 draw at home a week ago like a victory. Admittedly, the Portuguese offered a very decent performance, but in some situations they had the necessary luck on their side. Defensively, coach Ruben Amorim’s team allowed too much to happen. If that doesn’t change in the second leg in London, they could be knocked out of the Europa League.

However, the intermediate round showed that the Lions can also hold their own away from home. They only managed a draw at home against the Danish representative Midtjylland, which was followed by a surprisingly clear 4:0 victory away from home. But now, of course, a completely different calibre awaits them in the form of the Premier League leaders.

Sporting must not hide in London

Although the Green-Whites picked up a solid four points from three away games in the Champions League group stage, the record at national level shows that Sporting are ultimately weaker away than at home. The Lisbon team won only half of all twelve matches in Portugal’s top flight. In total, four of their six defeats this season have come at home.

Nevertheless, their form is quite respectable, as the Amorim team recently celebrated four consecutive league victories. The fourth-placed team in the Primeira Liga travels to the Thames with a lot of self-confidence, but will probably be pressed into their own half for long stretches, similar to the first leg in front of their own fans.

If you think the visitors will score and expect a high-scoring second leg, you can get odds of 1.70 at Bet3000 for at least three goals in normal time between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon. Winamax offers 2.00 for both teams to score.

Last matches played by Sporting Lisbon:

Europa League Final Stage
17/03/2023 – Arsenal FC (3)1 – 1(5) Sporting CP

Liga Portugal
13/03/2023 – Sporting CP 3 – 0 Boavista

Europa League Final Stage
10/03/2023 – Sporting CP 2 – 2 FC Arsenal

Liga Portugal
05/03/2023 – Portimonense 0 – 1 Sporting CP

28/02/2023 – Sporting CP 2 – 0 Estoril

Arsenal – Sporting Lisbon Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

Thursday evening marks the sixth time the clubs have faced each other in the Europa League or its predecessor competitions. Arsenal have not lost any of the five meetings so far. Two victories have been offset by three draws.

However, only the first leg a week ago is relevant for the upcoming second leg, which the Gunners dominated for long stretches and created many scoring chances. If the match plays out similarly, everything points to Arsenal’s prediction of a commanding home victory against Sporting Lisbon coming true.

Arsenal – Sporting Lisbon tip

One of the most interesting second legs in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 goes down at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night at 21:00. Not only the exciting starting position after the 2:2 in the first leg, but also the upward pointing form curves of both teams provide a lot of anticipation for neutral football fans.

The Gunners have won all of their last five PL matches and have even scored at least three goals of their own in four of these five encounters. Sporting, meanwhile, have won four in a row in Portugal, most of them without conceding a goal. Given the impressions from the first leg, when the Londoners were the better team and actually deserved a win, it is definitely understandable that lower betting odds are being offered on the home win ahead of the second leg Arsenal vs. Sporting Lisbon.

We completely agree with this assessment and additionally argue that the host Arteta team can once again strengthen its team. Therefore, we expect the favourites to win the match by at least two goals between Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon. Betano offers an attractive 2.00 for the handicap (-1), which we play with six units.