Arsenal should be too strong for Sporting Lisbon when the teams clash in the Portuguese capital this week. The Gunners finished top of the Champions League group, with a 100% winning record, before beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16. They've had a recent wobble, losing to Man City and Southampton in cup competitions, but they should return to winning ways on Tuesday. They thrashed Sporting 5-1 on the road last season, before signing Sporting's best player in the summer. Viktor Gyokeres will be keen to make an impact against his former club, and he could fire Arsenal to victory.
Arsenal love love love LOVE to keep the first leg on the road cagey and frustrate their opponents. There's a reason they had the best defensive record in the Group stage, and there's a reason they held Leverkusen to only one goal over two legs in the lest matchup. This team is able to dominate possession and grind matches to a halt, and I do not believe that Sporting will be good enough to break past it more than once. A nice 1-1 first leg is where I see this one ending.
