Arsenal vs Sporting Prediction and Champions League Preview | April 15

Arsenal vs Sporting Betting Preview

With the World Cup heading to North America this summer, The GoldSheet will be ramping up its soccer coverage over the next few weeks. WagerTalk handicapper and GoldSheet’s featured writer Bruce Marshall shares his thoughts on how Wednesday’s Arsenal vs Sporting clash in the UEFA Champions League will shake out.

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Current Form

Interesting that maybe one in ten (perhaps closer to one in twenty?) Arsenal backers are thinking more about this Champions League quarterfinal than they are the EPL showdown vs. Man City at the Etihad on the weekend.

We would assure that Mikel Arteta isn’t one of those sorts, keenly aware that his Gunners have little wiggle room despite bringing a 1-0 lead into the second leg vs. Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates.

There are nonetheless several questions that need answering soon by Arteta and his team, namely a recent absolute lack of creativity in attack while losing three of the last four in all competitions. Perhaps the fact the Gunners were so strong, and scored so often, from set-pieces in the first half of the campaign took emphasis away from open-play, and now that the set-pieces are drying up, so are the goals.

Midfield creativity has been next to nil in the recent slump, and Arteta has a new injury concern in Declan Rice while also crossing his fingers that sorts like Bukayo Saka, Martinn Ødegaard. Riccardo Califiori, and Jurriën Timber all iffy to pass late fitness tests for Wednesday.

Arteta also knows how difficult the first leg was in Lisbon, needing a Kai Havertz strike in added time to get the win, a result still rued by Rui Borges behind the Sporting bench, believing at worst his side deserved to get out of the first leg with a draw.

There is firepower on the Sporting side, with ex-Almeria (Spain) striker Luis Suarez on 32 goals in all competitions this season, and a viable replacement for Viktor Gyökeres, now featuring for…Arsenal.

Yet this second leg is also in London, not Lisbon, and having home edge in the second leg of the previous knockout round vs. Bodo/Glimt helped Sporting reverse a 3-0 deficit.

Arsenal vs Sporting Prediction

Though the Gunners’ defense has sprung a few leaks lately, it’s still the bedrock of Arteta’s side, and with David Raya likely in goal we can envision Sporting getting frustrated.

The likes of Gyökeres, Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli still provide a sharp enough edge for Arsenal, and we’d rather opt for the Gunners on the Asian Line (-1 goal at -122) as the preferred recommendation.

We’d stop there, but if looking for some other supporting options, there’s Gunners Halftime/Fulltime at +125, Gyökeres on +120 to score vs. his old team, while for some real fun on a supplemental punt, Arsenal 2-0 on a correct score would return +600.

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