Arsenal vs Sporting CP predictions and betting tips – Can Gunners bounce back?

Arsenal lost ground on Manchester City in the Premier League title race at the weekend, but they must put that disappointment to the back of their minds ahead of Sporting CP’s trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Will Arsenal advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday, or will this be another tricky game for the Gunners?

• Arsenal to win by one goal – 11/4 with bet365
• Both teams to score – Evens with 247Bet
• Gabriel Magalhaes to score any time – 9/2 with Sky Bet

Arsenal vs Sporting CP odds

Find the latest Arsenal vs Sporting CP betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Arsenal vs Sporting CP predictions

It was not a good weekend for Arsenal.

Playing a day before Manchester City gave Mikel Arteta’s men the chance to open up a 12-point lead at the summit of the standings. That would have been a huge psychological boost for the Premier League leaders.

Instead, Arsenal suffered a 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth, making it three domestic losses on the bounce in three different competitions.

Manchester City responded on Sunday, beating Chelsea 3-0 to move within six points of the summit of the standings.

The gap will halve to three points if City get the better of Arsenal in a mouthwatering showdown at the Etihad Stadium this weekend. 

Given Pep Guardiola’s team have a game in hand on their rivals for the crown, they would perhaps become favourites with a victory on Sunday.

City have a full week to prepare for that fixture. Arsenal do not – but that is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Because of this clash with Sporting CP, there is no time for the north Londoners to stew on the Bournemouth reverse. 

For the time being, they must put the Premier League title race to one side. In midweek, the Champions League takes centre stage once more.

Arsenal are on the verge of reaching the last four of Europe’s foremost tournament for a second consecutive season, something the club has never done before.

Although the Premier League title is their priority after three runners-up finishes on the bounce, Arsenal could yet be crowned kings of the continent for the first time ever.

They hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage in this quarter-final against Sporting CP following Kai Havertz’s goal in second-half stoppage time last week.

An uneventful first leg looked set to end goalless, but Arsenal summoned one last push to score a decisive goal in Lisbon. With the return fixture taking place in front of their own fans, Arteta’s charges are now strong favourites to advance.

Could playing at home actually be a disadvantage on this occasion, though? That is probably a step too far, but the anxiety at the Emirates Stadium was palpable against Bournemouth. Right now, Arsenal fans and players alike appear to be consumed by nerves.

This could still be a historic campaign for the Gunners, who are favourites to win both the Premier League title and the Champions League. All is not lost yet.

Arsenal vs Sporting CP betting tips

Arsenal host Sporting CP in the second leg of this Champions League quarter-final.

Arsenal to do job

When the top three contenders to win the Champions League are all in the groove, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are much better to watch than Arsenal.

The Gunners have a proven ability to win ugly, though, and that could help them both at home and on the continent in the weeks ahead.

Indeed, it goes without saying that Arsenal fans would be delighted with a scrappy 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium this weekend. 

Because their confidence has been dented in recent weeks, Arsenal are unlikely to suddenly turn on the style against Sporting CP. But we nevertheless expect them to come out on top on Wednesday, albeit by a slender margin.

Go for an Arsenal win by one goal at 11/4 with bet365

Sporting can find net

Bournemouth scored twice against Arsenal on Saturday, as Southampton did the previous weekend and Manchester City did before the March international break.

Arsenal have kept only one clean sheet in their last four outings. Granted, that was against Sporting CP, but we fancy the Portuguese giants to strike in the second leg.

It is rare for Sporting to draw a blank. Before the Arsenal game, they had scored in 43 of their last 44 matches, including in nine out of 10 Champions League contests.

Arsenal have looked shaky defensively in many of their recent games. And because Sporting CP need to score to have any chance of making it through, they will put the home team’s backline under pressure.

Choose both teams to score at evens with 247Bet

Gabriel on scoresheet?

Tipping a central defender in the anytime scorer market is a rare occurrence, but it is worth a punt on Gabriel Magalhaes finding the net in this one.

Arsenal were poor from open play at the weekend, as they were in the first leg against Sporting CP.

Their football is not flowing as it once did, in large part due to the doubts that have begun to creep into the players’ minds.

Set-pieces will therefore be important here, especially against a Sporting CP side that faces relatively few dead balls domestically.

Select Gabriel Magalhaes to score any time at 9/2 with Sky Bet

Arsenal vs Sporting CP predicted lineups

• Arsenal expected lineup: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Norgaard, Rice; Madueke, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres.
• Sporting CP expected lineup: Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Inacio, Araujo; Braganca, Hjulmand; Catamo, Trincao, Goncalves; Suarez.

Where to watch Arsenal vs Sporting CP

• Location: Emirates Stadium, London, England.
• Date and time: Wednesday 15th April, 8pm.
• How to watch: TNT Sports 1.

More Champions League predictions

We have plenty more Champions League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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