Sporting CP vs Arsenal: betting odds 26 Nov 2024

Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 Champions League group stage between Sporting CP (Portugal) and Arsenal (England) will take place on November 26 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Sporting CP vs. Arsenal: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

Predicted lineups for Sporting CP vs. Arsenal

Sporting CP (3-4-3): Franco Israel – Zeno Debast, Gonçalo Inácio, Jeremiah St. Juste – Nuno Santos, Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita, Geny Catamo – Francisco Trincão, Viktor Gyökeres, Pedro Gonçalves.

Arsenal (4-3-3): David Raya – Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Ben White – Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard – Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz.

Sporting CP

Half of the group stage is now complete, and there are still six clubs in the Champions League that remain unbeaten. Among them are the Portuguese side, who have accumulated 10 points with three wins and one draw. Notably, in the last round, Lisbon's team thrashed Manchester City 4-1 at home. This was the final match for Rúben Amorim, who left his position as head coach to take charge of another Manchester club. Sporting's defense has been particularly impressive, conceding only two goals (only five teams have a better defensive record).

• No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of Sporting CP's last 7 Champions League matches.
• The club has opened the scoring in 7 of their last 10 matches in this tournament.
• In 6 of Sporting CP's last 7 Champions League encounters, one team has led with a clean sheet at halftime.

Arsenal

The English side started well in the first three rounds. They initially drew away at Atalanta (0-0) and then secured home victories against PSG (2-0) and Shakhtar (1-0). However, in their last match, the Gunners not only conceded their first goal of the tournament but also suffered their first defeat – a 1-0 loss to Inter at home, courtesy of a penalty. As a result, Mikel Arteta's men have dropped to 12th place and trail their nearest top-8 rival by two points.

• In 6 of Arsenal's last 8 Champions League games, one team has won with a clean sheet.
• At least one team has failed to score in 7 of Arsenal's last 8 matches in this tournament.
• No more than two goals have been scored in regulation time in 8 of Arsenal's last 9 Champions League matches.

Sporting CP vs. Arsenal: Match Prediction

I believe the bookmakers are underestimating the Portuguese side, offering slightly better odds on the visitors. Manchester City experienced this firsthand, losing in Lisbon in the previous round. It is unlikely that Sporting's game will change drastically for the worse after the change of head coach, so I expect Arsenal to face a similarly hostile reception as the Citizens did.

Lisbon's team has yet to suffer a defeat in regulation time this season. In the Primeira Liga, they are leading confidently, having not dropped a single point after 11 rounds. The club averages 3.5 goals per game in their domestic league, conceding no more than 0.5 goals. Sporting also feels confident in the Champions League, with a goal difference of 9:2, which has placed them second in the group stage standings.

Arsenal has shown convincing performances only in the match against PSG after four rounds. In the other three main round matches of the Champions League, the Gunners scored just one goal, struggling to gather only 4 points. My prediction: Sporting CP with a handicap (0)