Sporting CP vs Arsenal
Uefa Europa League 2018/19
Venue: Estádio José Alvalade
Kick-off time: 5:55pm BST
Arsenal go into the toughest tie in their Europa League group in high spirits after securing their 10th straight victory in all competitions against Leicester City on Monday.
The Gunners are flying high under new boss Unai Emery after losing their first two games of the season and the partnership of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette is starting to blossom.
On top of the 4-2 win at home to Vorskla, the north London side cruised to a 3-0 win over Qarabag in Baku showing they can handle the rigours of European travels.
But they will find Sporting CP to be one of the toughest tests since the 3-2 defeat to Chelsea as they prepare for tonight's game at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Despite being rocked by a dispute between the fans, president and players before the season, their squad remains as strong as ever. Like Arsenal, they have taken two wins against Vorskla Poltava and Qarabag.
The Portuguese giants will be, however, wounded by their 4-2 defeat to Portimonense on Sunday and currently sit fifth in the Primeira Liga table.
After deciding to take a strong squad to Lisbon, Arsenal coach Unai Emery will be hoping to stretch their winning run a little longer to take maximum points from their opening three games.
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Team news
Unai Emery has opted to rotate his squad in this competition with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette each starting a game to date.
Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac both missed Monday’s win over Leicester with tight hamstrings, as did Sokratis, although the Greece international is expected to be in contention to return on Thursday night.
Petr Cech is edging closer to his return from a hamstring problem but as of Monday, was still training away from the group.
Head to head
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs in competitive competition.
TV, online and live stream coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
