Arsenal travel to Sporting Lisbon for the first leg of their round of 16 Europa League tie against the Portuguese side. Last Word On Football provides our Arsenal predicted lineup for the much-anticipated clash.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Sporting Lisbon
All set for Sporting CP 💪 pic.twitter.com/q1l2kYukXY
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 8, 2023
How Arsenal Have Lined-up Recently
Starting in defence, Aaron Ramsdale has been the number-one choice for Mikel Arteta in the goalkeeper position and the Englishman is having a superb season. In front of him, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have protected the Arsenal box, with the two centre-backs flanked by Benjamin White and Oleksandr Zinchenko on the right and left, respectively.
A midfield of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard has been Arteta’s go-to trio when all three are fit. However, Jorginho did an incredible job of covering for Partey during the 29-year-old absence through injury.
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The side had switched to a fluid front three of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, although Trossard’s injury against Bournemouth has disrupted that successful system.
Arsenal Recent Form and Tactics
The Gunners appear to have come through a difficult run of form, having won their last four fixtures on the bounce. and the entire club will be further buoyed by the dramatic nature of their 3-2 win against Bournemouth last time out.
As they have throughout the season, the Premier League table-toppers like to start games on the front foot and attempt to overwhelm the opposition with their intensity during the early stages of a match. Arsenal play a possession-based game and utilise an inverted full-back, most often Zinchenko, to great effectiveness in this regard.
As this is a Europa League tie, and there are many players in need of some playing time at the club, changes are expected, and as a result, the Gunners may struggle to implement the tactics mentioned above – especially in a hostile environment away from home.
Arsenal Injuries to Consider
Arteta was reluctant to reveal which individual players were available for the match, however, some good news for Arsenal fans is that star striker Gabriel Jesus has returned to full training and could feature in the match, although he will likely only be fit enough to make the bench.
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Kieran Tierney, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard however, are all doubts for the game.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup
- Matt Turner
- Takehiro Tomiyasu
- Rob Holding
- Gabriel Magalhaes
- Oleksandr Zinchenko
- Jorginho
- Granit Xhaka
- Fabio Vieira
- Reiss Nelson
- Gabriel Martinelli
- Emile Smith Rowe
