Arsenal’s Predicted Lineup XI Against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League…

Arsenal’s Predicted XI Against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League

Arsenal’s projected starting eleven against Sporting Lisbon for the upcoming Champions League match.

Mikel Arteta, the head coach of Arsenal, is anticipated to make adjustments to his starting lineup for the Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday in Portugal.

The Gunners recently broke a four-match winless streak in the Premier League with a convincing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Only Ben White (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are expected to miss out due to injury.

These three players are likely to be the only absentees for the upcoming match, and Arteta may opt to rotate nearly a third of the team that featured in the win against Forest, where he introduced a few surprises in his initial selection.

Notably, Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus were unexpected starters in the weekend match; while Jesus continued his goal drought in the league, Jorginho delivered a strong performance in the first half before being substituted.

It is unlikely that either player will retain their starting positions for this fixture, as Kai Havertz is expected to take over from Jesus in the forward role, with Leandro Trossard likely stepping in for Gabriel Martinelli, who is working to reclaim his spot.

A well-rested Declan Rice is anticipated to push Jorginho to the bench, but Arteta faces a significant decision in midfield, where Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey are in a competitive race for starting positions.

Partey scored a stunning goal in the win against Forest, while Merino played the entire match, suggesting that Partey may earn the nod this time.

Riccardo Calafiori also successfully completed two-thirds of Saturday’s match without any issues related to his knee injury, and he is expected to be cleared to join an unchanged defensive lineup.

Projected Arsenal starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.