Sporting v Arsenal Match Result
Arsenal will have been glad of the international break. Their season started brightly enough and there was a goalless draw away to Atalanta before beating Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar. However, then came a 1-0 defeat at Inter and that was part of a three-game winless run, with this fixture another difficult assignment for the London side.
It was notable that Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka didn’t report for international duty and Mikel Arteta will definitely need the pair at their best for games such as this one. Declan Rice also stayed away from England duty and perhaps we’ll see a rejuvenated team who compete hard against a Sporting side who are now without their star manager.
Sporting’s form has been superlative so far this season. Since losing a Super Cup game against Porto at the beginning of the season, the Portuguese champions have embarked on an unbeaten run domestically and on the continent. Indeed, every game has been won aside from a 1-1 draw away to PSV Eindhoven.
Their European campaign began with a 2-0 victory against Lille before that 1-1 draw in the Netherlands. There was then a 2-0 triumph away to Sturm Graz before that superb 4-1 win against Manchester City. Based on this form, you might argue that they are the value bet although they did only have 27% of the ball against City.
You might also argue that both teams would be relatively content with a draw from this clash. It would keep them ticking over ahead of easier looking fixtures, with Arsenal having a defence that is capable of nullifying a team who have scored an incredible nineteen goals in their previous five encounters.
The fact that Amorim has now left is clearly a negative for Sporting and perhaps this provides the Gunners with an opportunity to land a decisive win in Portugal, although the home side are still looking like value on the Draw No Bet market.
Sporting v Arsenal Goals Under/Over
We’ve essentially got a dangerous attacking Sporting side facing a defensively stubborn Arsenal team. Who will come out on top? Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres has scored an incredible twenty-six goals already this season and that included bagging four goals against Estrela before a hat-trick against Manchester City.
We should bear in mind that the Portuguese Super Liga is nowhere near the same level as the English Premier League, although Sporting have scored thirty-nine goals in their eleven domestic matches. However, in Europe, they had only managed five goals in three games before that eye-catching triumph against Manchester City.
Arsenal’s European games have all been low-scoring. There was a goalless draw away to Atalanta and the Gunners also failed to find the net when losing 1-0 to Inter. There’s no reason to suggest that they’ll be defensively open in this clash, with William Saliba and Gabriel possibly the best central defensive partnership in Europe.
Similarly, David Raya is one of the best goalkeepers around and it’s worth noting that Declan Rice was missing from that game at the San Siro. Therefore, we can’t help but feel as though the Under 2.5 Goals quote is the value in this game, with Sporting likely to be thwarted by a team who have managed to tame some of the best attacks around.
Sporting v Arsenal BTTS
BTTS Yes is trading at a relatively short price. The bottom line is that Sporting have scored in EVERY match this season and it will take a solid Arsenal defensive performance to deny them at least one goal. Do the Gunners aim to meet fire with fire? They are certainly more of an attacking threat with Martin Odegaard on the pitch, while a refreshed Bukayo Saka could mean that Sporting are dealing with defensive challenges of their own.
However, Sporting have only conceded two goals in their four Champions League matches thus far. They are far from attacking mavericks and that includes talented twenty-year-old Ousmane Diomande, with Uruguayan Maximiliano Araujo providing a stubborn resistance and also carrying a goal threat.
We do think that this could be a BTTS Yes game although that is reflected in the short betting odds that are available. The past three Sporting games have featured a victory to them and both sides finding the net, so this is a potential route if you want to punch for bigger odds.
Sporting v Arsenal First Goalscorer
Viktor Gyokeres has been a revelation this season. It’s crazy to think he was playing for Coventry City in the Championship until moving to Portugal in the summer of 2023, with the Swede now pilfering goals for Sporting. He has bagged an incredible twenty-three goals in all competitions this term and is an obvious pick for First Goalscorer, having broken the deadlock on numerous occasions.
Indeed, the forward has scored in thirteen of his sixteen games played this term. Therefore, you could do worse than include him as an Anytime Scorer pick if you are putting together a Champions League Bet Builder for this game, while Conrad Harder is a promising teenager who scored twice in a recent 4-2 victory against Braga.
As far as scoring options for Arsenal are concerned, we think that Bukayo Saka offers a lively threat from a wide position, while Gabriel Martinelli has started to find his best form this season. Kai Havertz is also a player who regularly appears on the scoresheet and the German will be leading the line for the visitors once again.