Arsenal travel to Sporting CP on matchday 5 of the Champions League league phase. The Gunners are tied with several other clubs in 10th place with 7 points. Sporting is in second place with 10 points. The hosts are one of the surprises of the CL season and will be a much tougher opponent for Arsenal than we thought when the draw was made.

The Portuguese team has a perfect record of 11-0 in Liga Portugal, scoring 39 goals and conceding just 5. They beat Manchester City 4-1 in early November, although the quality of that win has rapidly declined. Former coach Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United a few weeks ago, but Sporting have progressed without him, picking up three wins in a row under new coach João Pereira.

Sporting is led by Viktor Gyökeres, who has become one of the top strikers in Europe. He has 16 goals in 11 league games and 5 in 4 in the CL. His hot start to the season underpins his impressive season last year – 29 goals in 33 games in the league, 5 in 9 in the Europa League. The 26-year-old Swede is likely to ply his trade at one of Europe’s most glamorous clubs next season – he’s been linked everywhere, including Arsenal. Francisco Trincao and Pedro Goncalves complete the attacking trio for Sporting, while Daniel Braganca holds the reins in midfield.

Despite a defensive record that isn’t as impressive as last season, the Gunners have shown that they are capable of repelling an opposition attack (and we know they can, look all of last season for example). to). It starts with Martin Ødegaard. He organizes and directs the press, interrupting and stopping enemy attacks before they begin. Arsenal should be able to deny Sporting time and space on the ball.

The Gunners have a significant size advantage over the Portuguese team and should be able to dictate the game with their physicality. There aren’t many clubs in Europe who can match the Gunners when it comes to big, strong guys who can also have the ball – Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and even Mikel Merino in midfield, Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Yes, Jurrien Timber (who’s not the biggest, but he’s thick). There is always the possibility that talented, technically skilled players can move the ball faster and match Arsenal’s greatness.

But when Arsenal are at their best I always invest in them because the part I left out is that Arsenal are fast too. I’m not talking about blistering attacking tempo because Arsenal don’t have much of that outside of Gabriel Martinelli and, to a lesser extent, Bukayo Saka. It is Arsenal’s defensive pace that gives the clubs the dynamism they need. You simply don’t have the time and space on the ball that you are used to and think you have. Arsenal’s midfielders are on you at lightning speed and will probably win the duel.

I keep coming back to this (although I’m not sure I’ve said it on TSF recently) – think back to April 2023 when Manchester City soundly beat Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad and more or less secured the Premier League. League title secured. It seemed like they had more players on the pitch than Arsenal. They were everywhere, especially in midfield. This is Arsenal now. When Arsenal is at, or close to, full strength, it overruns its opponents.

The good news is that it looks like the Gunners are back on track. The first three months of the season were tough for Arsenal – brutal schedule, injuries, poor clearances, questionable refereeing decisions etc. This masked their quality. Side note: Despite all this, they were still a really good team based on the underlying numbers. But it didn’t quite add up. The comprehensive 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest was a glimpse of the real Arsenal (or what we hope is the real Arsenal).

Sporting will be a much more difficult test. Arsenal probably need this game more than the hosts given the CL standings, but they don’t want to lose points at home. A result for the Gunners, preferably a win, would go a long way towards securing one of the coveted top eight spots. Arsenal’s remaining CL games are “easier” on paper, so a result would more or less secure their place in the knockout rounds. For Sporting, a win over Arsenal would be unlikely to see them finish outside the top eight.

It’s still difficult to read much from the Champions League league table and get a clear sense of the relative safety/danger a particular club faces given their position, points total and games remaining. It’s annoying. I think all you have to do is win the games that are in front of you.

Fortunately, Arsenal have no new additions to the injury list. Takehiro Tomiyasu is somewhere outside the club recovering from his never-ending series of injuries. Ben White’s surgery will keep him out until January. Kieran Tierney was part of Arsenal’s traveling squad, although I don’t expect him to be there.

Sporting will be without winger Nuno Santos, who is recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon. Both defender Zeno Debast and attacker Pedro Goncalves are questionable due to muscle injuries.

Lineups will be posted as soon as they become available.

WHO: Arsenal at Sporting CP
WHAT: Matchday of the Champions League league, 5
WHEN: Tuesday, November 26, 3:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. GMT
WHERE: José Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon
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