Sporting CP will be without a number of key players for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Arsenal, which could be a big boost for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Sporting vs Arsenal team news
Manager Declan Rice has made significant additions to Arsenal’s injured squad ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg in Lisbon.
The England international joined his team-mates in training at the club’s London Colney base on Monday, having been absent from his side’s shock defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup.
Defender Gabriel, who was unable to continue at St Mary’s with a knee injury on Saturday night, also took part in training, in another encouraging development for Arteta’s side.
However, Bukayo Saka, who along with Rice missed England’s friendly against Japan last week, has not taken part in training, and he and Julian Timber are also unlikely to feature.
However, there are issues in the sports world that need to be addressed. Captain Morten Hjurmand is unable to play due to suspension.
The tough-tackling midfielder, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League, is famous for sporting a Gunners tattoo on his shoulder.
The hosts will also be without three key players due to injury, including starting left-back Nuno Santos.
Fotis Ioannidis and Luis Guilherme, key rotation options on the offensive line, will also be sidelined.
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Arteta says Arsenal are not panicking after consecutive defeats
Arteta vowed to erase the “pain” of back-to-back defeats that have put Arsenal’s season in jeopardy and insisted he was not pushing the panic button.
The defeats against Manchester City and Southampton were the first time this season that the Gunners have suffered back-to-back defeats, and raise serious questions about the club’s winning mentality in the final stages of the season.
But Arteta, whose side still hold a nine-point lead in the Premier League, insisted: “What I have to do is clear: don’t panic, if it happens, understand why it happened and bring clarity. And when you analyze it and accept it, you get better. That’s it. That’s what we have to do.”
“Have some perspective on how difficult it is. Feel that pain, feel that emotion and use it to get better and improve. There are some things we have talked about internally and I’m very confident we’ll find out tomorrow.”
“I know what it means to them and I know how much they want it. Now is the time to show it and we have to do it at the highest level tomorrow. We’re hungrier than ever, very excited and very, very motivated.”
